The grain
Fonio produces rough grains, which still have their glumes and lemmas after threshing. At this stage, the grain is known as raw or "paddy" fonio. Paddy fonio, the tip of which still has its seed coating, is oval with one slightly flattened side. The grains are very small (L: 1.5 mm, W: 0.9 mm). On average, 1000 grains weigh 0.5g
« Paddy » fonio |
Hulled fonio |
Whitened fonio |
Caryopsis section
Hulled fonio grains have a shiny pericarp whose colour varies from white through yellow to purple (wine-coloured), depending on the variety. They are only 1 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. They have a hilum on one side and a relatively large germ, containing the fat reserves, on the other.
The kernel (or albumen), which is the main storage organ, is made up of starch grains and a small protein reserve. It is the main element in whitened fonio
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