Extractable starch as a quality measurement of dried corn

About 18% of the corn produced in the United States is wet milled there. However, this corn can be detrimentally affected by artificial drying conditions that provide too much heat on corn that is very wet. Tests for 100-g extractable starch were performed on laboratory-dried and commercial cross-flow-dried corn at different temperatures. Near-infrared transmittance calibrations were developed based on the 100-g laboratory test for extractable starch. Each percentage point gain in extractable starch is estimated to be worth a minimum of 4 to 6 cents per bushel. The NIT calibration may be used as a rapid method for checking dried corn quality for extractable starch for wet milling.