ABSTRACT

Grain quality is a general term for different variables determined by the final user. Those variables differ greatly, however. For example, the quality requirements of grain for feed differ significantly from those for grain as a food ingredient. In general, grain quality can be divided into two basic categories (Figure 9.1): physical condition and composition (Krischik et al., 1990). Physical condition is further divided into soundness and purity. Soundness includes characteristics that describe the general condition of the grain, such as specific test weight, moisture content, color, and defects such as broken kernels and kernels damaged by mold, insects, moisture, or excessive heat. Purity refers to materials or substances other than the natural kernel that are present in the grain mass. Foreign materials, insects, mycotoxins, and chemical residues are impurities or contaminants.