Drying small grains: safe grain drying temperatures recommended for western Canadian crops

摘要

In the United States, corn is far and away the most common grain to be run through a grain dryer at the elevator. Not so in western Canada, where little corn is grown, and grain dryers are devoted primarily to small grains, including wheat, durum, oats, barley, canola, flax, and mustard, as well as specialty crops such as lentils, peas, dry edible beans, and sunflowers. Drying these small grains requires care and, in general, lower temperatures than drying corn, which generally is done at 93 to 116degrees C (200 to 240 degrees F). The reason being, too much heat introduced to the grain kernel forces moisture out too quickly, and the kernels become prone to surface wrinkling and shrinkage. Under Canada's grain grading system, that will cause the grain to be downgraded, resulting in excessive monetary losses. With wheat in particular, according to the Canadian Grain Commission, overheating the grain partially cooks the protein, which in turn, ruins the baking quality of the flour made from this wheat.