MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-60-3-0629-01 | 
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Reginald C. Agu, Onyetugo C. Amadi, Tochukwu N. Nwagu, Chukwudi I. Nnamchi, Anene N. Moneke, and Bartholomew N. Okolo. Bioprocess and Fermentation Unit, Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Abstract
Quick analytical parameters used for wheat quality assessment include total nitrogen (TN), thousand corn weight (TCW), bushel weight (BW), and specific weight (SW). Additional experimental quality parameters, such as alcohol yield (AY), may be important but take about three days to obtain results. Thus, there is the need to establish the relationship between quick intake quality parameters (TN, TCW, and BW) and AY. A given sample of cereal (wheat) contains a wide range of different corn (grain) sizes. In this study, the number of corns present in a 10-g sample of wheat ranged from 214 to 266 corns (>2.5 mm screening box method). The results obtained showed that when the number of corns present in a 10-g sample of wheat was correlated with TN, the correlation result was comparable to when the percentage of thin corns was correlated with TN. For the commercial wheat studied, the results of our study further showed that BW was stronger in assessing wheat quality than was TCW because BW gave a stronger correlation with AY than when using TCW for AY correlation. Also, BW gave a weaker relationship with residual materials left behind after wheat processing (measured as residue viscosity [RV]) when compared with TCW. It was observed that important links exist between AY and RV in processed wheat: as AY increased RV decreased. This study, therefore, suggests that BW is a preferred quality parameter for use in commercial trading for wheat, as has been observed in previous studies on barley.
Keywords: adjuncts, alcohol yield, bushel weight, screenings, thousand corn weight, total nitrogen, wheat
