Fact sheet: What makes an Australian grass seed a viable grain for an Indigenous-led native grains food industry?

Australia has an incredible range of native grasses, which have evolved over millions of years to survive and flourish in environments from tropical pastures to deserts. Indigenous Australians have managed, harvested, and processed seeds from many of these grasses for food for millennia; however, only some of these species have potential in an Indigenous-led native grains industry.

Key messages
— Australian native grasses have characteristics that make them suitable for an Indigenous-led native grains food industry, focusing on grain yield, ease of harvesting, and nutritional quality.
— Understanding the anatomy and structure of grass inflorescences, including spikelets and caryopses, is crucial for efficient harvesting, storage, processing and nutritional quality.
— The grains’ nutritional profile, including proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, along with commercial factors like grain size, colour and storage requirements, are essential for their use in the food industry.