Cereal Chem 59:477 - 484.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
The Botanical Constituents of Wheat and Wheat Milling Fractions. I. Quantification by Autofluorescence.

SV. A. Jensen, L. Munck, and H. Martens. Copyright 1982 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

A method is described for quantifying pericarp, aleurone, and endosperm in wheat milling fractions by their autofluorescence characteristics. Fluorescence data from wheat fractions are evaluated by a statistical model initially calibrated against manually dissected botanical parts and synthesized mixtures with known compositions. The composition of mixtures of pure botanical components could be quantified by their autofluorescence. The method was tested on decortication fractions from a winter wheat milled in an abrasive decorticator. A high correlation existed between pericarp and fiber and between endosperm and starch, whereas a significantly lower correlation existed between aleurone and ash. Autofluorescent quantification of the botanical components of wheat flour streams may be more relevant than standard chemical analyses such as ash for monitoring the physical separation of these components in wheat milling processes.