Moisture content wheat

W. R. Windham, C. S. Gaines, R. G. Leffler. Effect of wheat moisture content on hardness scores determined by near-infrared reflectance and on hardness score standardization. Cereal Chem 70 662-666, 1993. 

Foods high ia sucrose, proteia, or starch (qv) tend to biad water less firmly and must be dried to a low moisture content to obtain microbial StabiHty. For example, grain and wheat flour can support mold growth at moisture contents above 15% (wet basis) and thus are stored at moisture contents below 14%. Stored grains and oil seeds must be kept at a water activity below 0.65 because certain molds can release aflatoxias as they grow. Aflatoxins are potent carciaogens (see Food toxicants, naturally occurring). 

Microorganism and cultivation conditions Rhizopus sp. 26R criltivated in 20 g solid substrates composed of wheat bran, rice bran and rice husk (6 12 2) in a plastic bags. Initial pH and moisture content were 5.7 and 58%, respectively. The fungus was incubated at 32°C for 6 days. 

Figure 5 Pectinase activity in solid substrates of wheat bran, rice bran and rice husk at different ratios of substrates. Initial moisture content 66 % Incubation temperature 32°C Initial pH 5.7...

Figure 6,7 and 8 showed the results of the pectinase activity when produced in the solid substrates containing wheat bran, rice bran and rice husk in the ratio of 6 12 2. The highest activity obtained when the strain was grown on the solid substrates with 58 % initial moisture content, pH adjusted to 5.7 and incubation temperature was at 32°C. Under these conditions, the highest activity of the enzyme that could be obtained from Rhizopus sp. 26R was ca. 700 units of enzyme activity per gram of solid substrates. 

M. Young, Variation in moisture contents between bulk soil and the rhizosheath of wheat (Tritieum aestivum L. cv. Wembley). New Phytol. 730 135 (1995). 

There is very little information on cultivar differences with respect to (i) resistance to infection by P. verrucosum and (ii) OTA formation (Hokby et al., 1979 Axberg el al., 1997). The latter performed a laboratory experiment with six artificially inoculated cultivars of barley and three of wheat. After incubation for 23 weeks at approximately 19% moisture, the barley cultivars contained between 6 and 350 and the wheat cultivars between 25 and 890 ng OTA g 1 grain. In another study, Elmholt and Rasmussen (2005) reported that two of four cultivars of spring spelt from the same field contained 18 and 92 ng OTA g 1, respectively, while the other two contained less than 0.5 ng OTA g As differences in OTA neither correlated with moisture content at harvest nor with the level of P. verrucosum, they were probably caused by differences in cultivar sensitivity. This should, however, be further studied. 

Abramson D, Sinha R N and Mills J T (1990), Mycotoxin formation in HY-320 wheat during granary storage at 15 and 19% moisture content , Mycopathologia, 111, 181— 189. 

It should be appreciated that a high level of starch damage is not essential in bread. French bread is made from soft wheat flour with a low starch damage. Starch damage is generally undesirable in biscuits. In biscuits the product is cooked to a very low moisture content so binding in water is undesirable. 

The bread making properties of ordinary white bread flour improve for some time after manufacture, which is the origin of oxidative flour treatments. The shelf life of such a flour is around a year. If the moisture content can be kept low, either by selecting low moisture wheat or by drying wheat, the shelf life can be increased to three years. This sort of flour is supplied for ship s stores and similar purposes. This is the modern alternative to ship s biscuits. 

W.R. Hruschka and K. Norris, Least squares curve fitting of near-infrared spectra predicts protein and moisture content in ground wheat, Appl. Spectrosc., 36, 261-265 (1982). 

Western blot, see Immunoblot Wet grinding, starch isolation, 674-676 Wheat and wheat starch enzymatic quantification, 682 isolation, 676 moisture content, 22 Whole-grain wheat, enzymatic quantification, 682 Wijs reagent, 467-468, 475 Wine, see also Grapes WUA. see Water uptake ability... 

Hruschka, W.R. and Norris, K., Least Squares Curve Fitting of Near-Infrared Spectra Predicts Protein and Moisture Content in Ground Wheat Appl. Spectrosc. 1982, 36, 261-265. 

Xylan and Glucan Conversions for Upgrading of Wheat Straw Stems Using P. ostreatus at 23.0-149 mg/g of Stems and Moisture Contents of 1.10-2.24 g of H20/g of Stems"... 

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