Cereal Chem. 73 (5):628-631  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Miscellaneous

Distribution of Uric Acid in the Fractions Obtained from Experimental Milling of Wheat Infested with Granary Weevil Larvae (1).

A. R. Ghaedian (2) and R. L. Wehling (2,3). (1) Published as Paper no. 11357, Journal Series, Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0704. (2) Department of Food Science and Technology, 143 Filley Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0919. (3) Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Accepted June 12, 1996. Copyright 1996 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

To determine the fate of uric acid during wheat milling, samples of hard red winter wheat were inoculated with kernels containing late instar larvae of the granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius), such that the samples had a uric acid content of about 25 µg of uric acid per gram of wheat. The samples were then milled on a Buhler experimental mill to produce three break flours, three reduction flours, and two millfeed fractions. Uric acid in individual milled fractions was quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, using ion-pairing with tetrabutylammonium phosphate and ultraviolet detection. After milling, over 90% of the uric acid was found in the flour, with approximately 50% of the total uric acid in the first break fraction. Only about 10% of the original uric acid was distributed into the millfeed.