Endosperm is a tissue produced inside the
seeds of most of the
flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the
embryo and provides nutrition in the form of
starch, though it can also contain
oils and
protein. This can make endosperm a source of nutrition in human diet. For example,
wheat endosperm is ground into flour for
bread (the rest of the grain is included as well in
whole wheat flour), while
barley endosperm is the main source for
beer production. Other examples of endosperm that forms the bulk of the edible portion are
coconut "meat" and coconut "water", and
corn. Some plants, like the
orchid, lack endosperm in their
seeds.