We bet you didn’t know your postage stamps stick to envelopes thanks to wheat, or that corn helps give your shampoo a lemon scent. Beyond your cereal bowl or bread basket, grains such as barley, corn, oats, soybeans and wheat are a key ingredient in many items Canadians use every day. In Ontario alone, we produce six million acres of grains (that’s about 7.8 million football fields!) used to fuel our vehicles, feed our communities and farm animals and much more. Grain Farmers of Ontario, which represents the 28,000 provincial grain farmers, have put together a list of 10 things you probably didn’t know were made with grains. Have a look!
After removing key elements from wheat to make food, the dry stalks, known as straw, can be pulped to make paper and particle board.
Wheat starch is used to make non-toxic adhesives, such as postage stamp glue and wheat glue for crafts.
An enzymatic process can be used to make a high-protein fish feed from barley, which is suitable for carnivorous fish.
Rubbing alcohol, commonly used to sterilize medical instruments and to clean wounds, contains approximately 70 per cent concentrated ethanol, which is often derived from agriculture by-products, like corncobs and wheat straw.
Barley malt vinegar, a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce, is made by malting barley into a mash then allowing it to turn into vinegar.
Some window cleaning products contain 2-Hexoxyethanol, acetic acid, ethanolamine, fragrance and artificial colors — all of which are derived from corn.
While citric acid brings to mind lemons and limes, much of commonly used citric acid is actually derived from corn. Then, it goes into your shampoo and conditioner.
Soothing lotions that help relive dry, itchy, irritated skin will sometimes contain oats. Oats contain avenathramides, an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that soothes the skin.
Soy proteins are extracted from leftover waste of soybean food products, then processed through a spinneret to make liquid soy. The liquid soy is processed and solidified, which gives us a soybean fibre. From there, the fibre is spun and processed into yarns.
If you drive a vehicle, you might be relying on soybean lubricants to make sure that the moving parts in the engine and transmission run at top performance. Soybeans can also be found in bio-diesel, seat foam and interior panels within your car.
