Cereal Chem 65:13-15   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Measuring Density and Porosity of Grain Kernels Using a Gas Pycnometer.

C. S. Chang. Copyright 1988 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Porosities, true densities, and apparent densities of corn, wheat, and sorghum kernels were determined with a gas pyconometer. Average true densities for corn, wheat, and sorghum grain were 1.45, 1.47, and 1.46 g/cm3, respectively. Average apparent kernel densities for corn, wheat, and sorghum grain were 1.27, 1.39, and 1.32 g/cm3, respectively. Average kernel porosities for corn, wheat, and sorghum were 12.5, 5.2, and 9.8%, respectively. More than 80% of void spaces in corn kernels were isolated from the outside. For wheat and sorghum grain, the isolated void spaces were 30 and 52%, respectively.