Center for Crops Utilization Research

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Grain Quality

Overview

Improved methods for evaluating the quality of U.S. grain can increase the value of a bushel of corn by up to 30 cents, and add up to $1.00 per bushel of soybeans at the local level. CCUR researchers are developing procedures to enable elevator operators to identify premium quality grain, allow farmers to receive appropriate compensation and purchasers to ensure the identity and monitor the integrity of shipments. This group is responsible for pioneering grain-composition testing for the marketplace, including moisture-meter calibrations that are now national standards, standardized sampling procedures used by grain elevators, and quantified shrinkage factors for corn driers and handlers.

This project has led CCUR investigators to develop a predictive model for determining the wet-milling properties of corn for use by the wet-milling industry. In addition, the project developed an innovative testing procedure to obtain accurate data for the model. To predict the yields and purities of milling fractions, the test makes use of near infrared reflectance (NIR), as well as density, water diffusion and absorption, and other physical properties of corn samples. This work will identify those varieties that yield the most starch and protein with the least energy input, increasing the competitiveness of the corn processing industry by increasing its production efficiency.

CCUR actively participates in the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (IGQI), a cutting edge grain quality research and information program. The program works to promote sustainable growth in markets for user-specific grains. For information on GMO issues, conferences, publications, the Iowa Near Infrared Network, and other news, please contact IGQI.

Another project is addressing the needs of Asian soyfood processors. As center scientists determine which varieties embody superior processing characteristics and then develop methods for quantifying these traits, producers will be able to identify premium grades of food-grade export soybeans. This work also is helpful to plant breeders in that superior product characteristics, once identified, can focus the attention of biotechnologists on the mechanisms responsible for a trait's expression, as well as ways to enhance or transfer it. This, in turn, enables plant breeders to tailor their programs toward the development of those lines having the highest commercial export potential.