IR radiation method in moisture testing of various types of grains

The aim of the research was to compare the possibilities of using various research techniques to determine the moisture content of wheat, barley and corn. The research material consisted of grain samples collected immediately after 2022 harvest from various climatic and cultivation areas located in Poland. Grain moisture content was determined using a grain moisture meter (GAC), NIR analyzer, and moisture analyzer (MA). The grain moisture content varied depending on the type of grain, the research method used and the climatic and cultivation area. Corn grain had the highest moisture content, on average 31.42±6.83%, and the lowest moisture content was found in wheat grain, 12.60±5.05%, and barley grain, 12.81±0.88%. The type of grain, shape, and the share of pericarp-seed coat influenced the differences in moisture results depending on the research technique. It was found that the precision of moisture results, which is a measure of grain moisture diversity, did not depend on the research technique, but on the climatic and cultivation area from which grain samples were taken for testing. The largest differences in moisture results between methods were obtained for corn from region II, when moisture was determined using the GAC grain moisture meter. For wheat and barley, the discrepancies in the accuracy of the analysis amounted to a maximum of 0.33%. It was found that the NIR, GAC and MA methods can be used interchangeably while maintaining appropriate research procedures.