Cereal Chem 55:908 - 912.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
A Dimethyl Sulfoxide Preparative Treatment for Sectioning Cereal Grains.

G. H. Keltner, L. S. Bates, and K. A. Mujeeb. Copyright 1978 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Cereal kernel structure can yield useful data for plant breeding and taxonomic research and for subsequent milling and processing of new cultivars or hybrids. The difficulty of sectioning cereals has limited routine examination of kernel structure. A dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) pretreatment was developed during evaluation of wheat, barley, rye, and their intergeneric hybrids to permit simple and rapid sectioning. Kernels were supported in cork, treated with 80% (v/v) aqueous DMSO, air dried, and sectioned on a rotary microtome equipped with a razor blade adapter. Sections were dehydrated, cleared, and mounted for light microscopy. Aleurone cells, endosperm cells, and starch granules also were observed by polarized light and Nomarski interference-contrast microscopy to visualize starch birefringence and other details not possible by bright field illumination. The technique is much less laborious than paraffin embedding, freezing, and glass knife sectioning; maintains the physical integrity of the kernel; and limits artifact development. Its use has been extended to other cereals, legumes, and oilseeds.