The separation and technological significance of the outer layers of the wheat grain

Abstract

Abstract A detergent extraction technique was applied to quantitatively separate the outer layers of the wheat grain from the starchy endosperm. These layers were examined under the light microscope which showed that the cellular structures were intact and the contents of the aleurone cells had not been extracted. Milling studies demonstrated that the extraction technique allowed an accurate estimate to be made of the flour‐yielding potential of a wheat provided that the milling system was capable of fully realising this flour‐yielding capacity. The small‐scale nature of the test allows it to be applied in wheat breeding programmes at an early stage as a predictive test for flour yield.