Interrelations between selected physical and technological properties of wheat grain

The aim of this work was to determine selected physical properties of wheat grain which are of significance in transport, separation and storage processes as well as to assess the correlations between them and the technological properties of wheat. The grain of two wheat varieties (Eta and Banti) which are popular in Poland was used as research material. The tested properties included: vitreousness, test weight, thousand kernel weight, true density, geometric parameters (thickness, width, length), static friction coefficient of wheat kernels against steel and glass, protein and gluten content and the Zeleny sedimentation value. The grain of the investigated wheat varieties differed in most physical and technological properties. The average length, width and thickness kernels were 6.31 mm, 3.31 mm and 3.03 mm for vr. Banti and 6.05 mm, 3.33 mm, 2.97 mm for vr. Eta. The test weight ranged from 75.68 (Banti) to 78.29 kg • hl-1 (Eta), the thousand kernel weight from 36.3 (Eta) to 39.2 g (Banti) and vitreousness was from 13 (Banti) to 81% (Eta). A correlation between the physical and technological properties of wheat was found. The vitreousness of the wheat grain was positively correlated with protein content (the correlation indices were 0.58 for Banti variety and 0.67 for Eta) and the volume was positively correlated with the true density of grain (r = -0.69 Eta, r = -0.64 Banti). The static coefficient of the friction of wheat grains of two structural materials (metal or glass) is insufficient to predict its technological properties.