The Canadian Grain Commission reminds grain producers that tight
tolerances for sprout damage in bread wheat makes it a bad idea to
blend sprouted wheat with sound wheat.
Sprouting is one of the main grading factors in the wheat harvest this
fall.
Tight tolerances for severe sprout damage and total sprout damage have
been implemented to protect the bread-making quality of Canada Western
Red Spring wheat.
“Many farms don’t have the ability to do the kind of blending that
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takes place in the elevator,” said acting chief commissioner Albert
Schatzke.
“However, some operations are able to, and so we want them to be extra
cautious about blending, and preferably not to do any blending at all
if they have sprout-damaged wheat.”
Wheat sprouts under conditions of prolonged dampness or rain. Kernels
may start germinating while the wheat is lying in the swath or when the
mature crop is standing.
Germination begins when mature kernels absorb water and produce enzymes
known as alpha-amylase that break down stored starch and protein in the
endosperm.
Although some alpha amylase is present in sound wheat kernels, the
embryo and endosperm produce the enzyme at an accelerated rate when
germination begins.
A severely sprout-damaged kernel contains many thousands of times the
amounts of alpha-amylase than are present in the early stages of
germination.
A wheat sample containing low levels of severely sprouted kernels may
exhibit significant alpha amylase activity.
In bread making, alpha-amylase reduces flour’s water-holding capacity,
reducing the number of loaves of bread obtained.
Sprout damage leads to sticky dough, causing handling problems in the
bakery, and coarse, gummy bread that is difficult to slice and package.
The tolerances for sprout damaged kernels in CWRS wheat are: No. 1,
severe damage 0.1 percent, total damage 0.5 percent; No. 2, severe
damage 0.2 percent, total one percent; and No. 3, severe damage 0.3
percent, total three percent.
