Comparison between methods for estimating sprout damage in wheat

Sprouting in wheat is common when rain occurs during harvest. This causes the moisture content of the grain to increase to a level at which germination takes place and α-amylase increases. Various methods can be used to determine α-amylase in cereals. The Falling Number method is currently widely used in the milling and baking industry. As well as being time-tested and reliable, this method is very sensitive to the presence of low levels of enzyme. However, it is often influenced by factors other than α-amylase, such as the nature of the starch, starch damage and environment. In this study various methods to determine preharvest sprouting and α-amylase activity were compared. All the methods evaluated showed significant correlations to each other and any of these methods could therefore be used to determine sprouting. Results indicated that the Stirring Number and Falling Number methods are the most reliable for the determination of preharvest sprouting and α-amylase activity.