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Effect of NaOH on Visible Wavelength Spectra of Single Wheat Kernels and Color Classification Efficiency

¹Grain and Marketing Production Research Center, ARS, USDA, Manhattan, KS 66502. Mention of trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.

A diode-array system, which measures spectral reflectance from 400 to 700 nm, was used to quantify single wheat kernel color before and after soaking in NaOH as a means of determining color class. Wheat color classification is currently a subjective determination and important in determining the end-use of the wheat. Soaking kernels in NaOH and classifying the soaked kernels with the diode-array system resulted in more difficult-to-classify kernels correctly classified (98.1%) than the visual method of classifying kernels (74.8%). Kernel orientation had a slight effect on correct classification, with the side view correctly classifying more kernels than the dorsal or crease view. The diode-array system provided a means of quantifying kernel color and eliminated inspector subjectivity when determining color class.