A rapid test to measure starch damage in wheat, examined by a team of researchers last summer, is slated to be commercially available during the first quarter of 2025, says the company that makes it.

“The target markets are grain elevators and wheat mills,” said Ryan Whipkey, global market director for EnviroLogix, based in Portland, Maine. “Some farmers may desire to inspect their quality prior to binning or transporting grain to a buyer but I suspect this will be a smaller percentage of the market.”

Starch damage in wheat is caused by pre-harvest sprouting or alpha-amylase, an enzyme that breaks down the starch.

The industry hopes to find a suitable replacement for the long-standing falling number test, which measures starch damage but is “cumbersome” and inconsistent, leaving farmers subject to high dockages if their wheat tests poorly.

The TotalTarget for Sprout Damage rapid test will provide the grain industry an alternative and complementary test to the falling number machine, Whipkey said. The test works by directly measuring the activity of the amylase enzyme that is found in sprout damaged and LMA wheat.

“The TotalTarget for Sprout Damage test will enable the grain industry to make more informed grain segregation decisions and therefore protect the premium value of sound wheat from contamination,” Whipkey said.

Following last summer’s testing, the company made adjustments to the calibration curve for an improved falling number prediction, said Adam Johnson, senior manager of the research and development rare reagents group at EnviroLogix.

“At this time, the test will only be directed at soft wheat, but we have more ‘matrix additions’ slated for feasibility and development such as finished flour, hard wheat, durum wheat, barley, etc.,” Johnson said.

Researcher demonstrations

The markets that have shown the most interest in the rapid tests are grain elevators, testing facilities and mills, said Amber Hauvermale, Washington State University associate professor, who is coordinating research efforts.

“It will be available to anybody that’s interested in it,” she said.

Given the logistics of testing within the grain chain, and who has the ability to test for falling number on site at their farms, “it probably does make a little bit more sense for (farmers) to give it a little bit more time,” she said.

Hauvermale, USDA research geneticist Alison Thompson and USDA molecular geneticist Camille Steber demonstrated how the rapid test works during WSU’s Wheat Academy in December.

“The overall feeling was that people were excited about it,” Hauvermale said. “That also allowed us to increase awareness about falling number and the causes of falling number.”

They will demonstrate the test during the Spokane Ag Show, Pacific Northwest Wheat Quality Council and Soft Red Wheat Quality Council. Hauvermale and her team are available to give demonstrations to other groups and organizations.

Hauvermale and her team also want to help farmers select wheat varieties that are tolerant of pre-harvest sprouting and alpha-amylase, she said.