Cereal Chem 43:347 - 352.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Moisture Relations in Germ, Endosperm, and Whole Corn Kernel.

L. Shelef and N. N. Mohsenin. Copyright 1966 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Sorption-desorption isotherms were established for whole yellow dent corn kernels as well as germ and endosperm fragments at 74 F. over the range of 11 to 97% relative humidity. All three isotherms were sigmoid and showed hysteresis loops. The equilibrium moisture content of the germ was lower than that of the endosperm up to a relative humidity of 88%. At this point both germ and endosperm reached a level of 21% moisture content dry basis (17.35% wet basis). Above this level the germ took up water much more rapidly than the endosperm. The constants of the empirical equation proposed by Henderson were solved for the germ, endosperm, and whole kernel. Desorption isotherms were computed, using these constants, and compared with the observed isotherms. The endosperm showed best fit, but no coincidence was found for the germ.