Cereal Chem 38:122 - 131.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Histochemical Characterization of Wheat and Wheat Products. IV. Mapping the Free Fatty Acids in Germinating Wheat.

. Pomeranz and J. A. Shellenberger. Copyright 1961 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Changes in free fatty acid content of various tissues of wheat germinated for 8 days were followed by a histochemical method using the base of acridine orange in xylol. Using various substrates showed the staining method specific for fatty acids. Halved kernels stained and viewed under ultraviolet radiation indicated the scutellum as the main site of lipase activity. As the germination period increased, zones farther from the scutellum tissue gradually increased in fatty acids until, after about 8 days, measurable quantities of free fatty acids were present throughout the kernel.