Does Fumigation of Durum Wheat and Semolina with Sulfuryl Fluoride affect Quality of the Grain, Semolina and derived Spaghetti and Bread?

There is no information on the effect of sulfuryl fluoride (SF) on durum wheat technological properties and products made from fumigated durum wheat. Durum wheat and semolina were exposed to a range of SF applications under conditions that might be typically encountered in bulk storage facilities used in many countries. SF greatly reduced the germination percentage of fumigated durum wheat with increasing impact under higher SF concentration, grain moisture content, and fumigation temperature. SF greatly reduced seed germination percentage impacting more the higher the SF concentration. SF had little to no effects on grain test weight, 1000 grain weight, hardness, protein content, semolina ash content and mixograph properties. At the highest SF concentration (31.25 mg/L for 48 h) there was a tendency for pasta cooking loss to be increased but still acceptable while other pasta properties were largely unaffected. Fumigation with SF did not have any impact on the baking properties of a wholemeal durum flour-commercial flour mix. Therefore, SF is not recommended if the grains are to be used as seeds for agricultural production but for the production of semolina, pasta and bread, SF used under typical fumigation conditions has little to no impact on technological properties of durum wheat.

Does fumigation of durum wheat and semolina with sulfuryl fluoride affect quality of the grain, semolina, and derived spaghetti and bread?

There is no information on the effect of sulfuryl fluoride (SF) on durum wheat technological properties and products made from fumigated durum wheat. Durum wheat and semolina were exposed to a range of SF applications under conditions that might be typically encountered in bulk storage facilities used in many countries. SF greatly reduced the germination percentage of fumigated durum wheat, with increasing impact under higher SF concentration, grain moisture content, and fumigation temperature. SF greatly reduced seed germination percentage, impacting more the higher the SF concentration. SF had little to no effect on grain test weight, 1,000-grain weight, hardness, protein content, semolina ash content, and mixograph properties. At the highest SF concentration (31.25 mg/L for 48 h) there was a tendency for pasta cooking loss to be increased but still acceptable, and other pasta properties were largely unaffected. Fumigation with SF did not have any impact on the baking properties of a wholemeal durum flour-commercial flour mix. Therefore, SF is not recommended if the grains are to be used as seeds for agricultural production, but for the production of semolina, pasta, and bread, SF used under typical fumigation conditions has little to no impact on technological properties of durum wheat. © 2016 AACC International, Inc.

Validation of single photon absorptiometry for on-farm measurement of density and mineral content of tail bone in cattle

A validation study examined the accuracy of a purpose-built single photon absorptiometry (SPA) instrument for making on-farm in vivo measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) in tail bones of cattle. In vivo measurements were made at the proximal end of the ninth coccygeal vertebra (Cy9) in steers of two age groups (each n = 10) in adequate or low phosphorus status. The tails of the steers were then resected and the BMD of the Cy9 bone was measured in the laboratory with SPA on the resected tails and then with established laboratory procedures on defleshed bone. Specific gravity and ash density were measured on the isolated Cy9 vertebrae and on 5-mm2 dorso-ventral cores of bone cut from each defleshed Cy9. Calculated BMD determined by SPA required a measure of tail bone thickness and this was estimated as a fraction of total tail thickness. Actual tail bone thickness was also measured on the isolated Cy9 vertebrae. The accuracy of measurement of BMD by SPA was evaluated by comparison with the ash density of the bone cores measured in the laboratory. In vivo SPA measurements of BMD were closely correlated with laboratory measurements of core ash density (r = 0.92). Ash density and specific gravity of cores, and all SPA measures of BMD, were affected by phosphorus status of the steers, but the effect of steer age was only significant (P < 0.05) for steers in adequate phosphorus status. The accuracy of SPA to determine BMD of tail bone may be improved by reducing error associated with in vivo estimation of tail bone thickness, and also by adjusting for displacement of soft tissue by bone mineral. In conclusion a purpose-built SPA instrument could be used to make on-farm sequential non-invasive in vivo measurements of the BMD of tailbone in cattle with accuracy acceptable for many animal studies.