Prediction of Fermentable Starch Content by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
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The Iowa State University Integrated Crop Management Conference is Iowa's premier crop production education event. No other program in Iowa brings together the diverse range of topics, slate of expert presenters and results of the latest University research.
The ICM Conference offers workshops focusing on the latest in crop production technology. Experts from Iowa and surrounding states will provide research updates and results in soil fertility, soil and water management, crop production and pest management.
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Abstract
Measuring the starch content of corn allows ethanol plants to know how much ethanol can be produced from a specific lot of corn. The developments of quick and easy starch measurement methods are important in maximizing the ethanol yield of corn. Measurement of starch content in corn has been done through several laboratory procedures. Fermentable starch best indicates the amount of ethanol produced by the dry-grind method. Conventional laboratory fermentable starch measurement can take hours to days to complete. There is a need for rapid and easy methods to identify the suitability of individual corn lots for dry-grind ethanol production. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid nondestructive technique that is able to measure organic substances in minutes. NIRS could be useful in predicting the amount of fermentable starch in corn samples.