| Abstract: | The selection of grain that is optimum for barley Shochu is not straightforward. Usually malting barley is used, but not all malting barley samples perform well in Shochu production. In addition there is a genotype × environment effect, so that a given variety may perform satisfactorily in one environment but not another. Therefore a method for testing samples for Shochu is required. This group has previously reported on the evaluation of barley for Shochu production using the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) and demonstrated a significant correlation between the SKCS Hardness Index and pearling performance. The Hardness Index values are multivariate statistical predictions derived from an incremental change analysis of the crush‐response profiles. In the present study, a detailed analysis was performed of the averaged SKCS Crush‐Response Profiles of barley, obtained when measuring the SKCS Hardness Index. It was concluded that the morphological differences between averaged barley SKCS Crush‐Response Profiles appear to allow barley varieties to be classified into four distinct classes. In addition, the elastic response to the crushing on the SKCS device of the aleurone layers of barley kernels yields a useful predictor of pearling quality/performance. |
