Western Standards Committee recommendations from April 14, 2005

At its meeting on April 14, 2005, the Western Standards Committee (WSC) endorsed the adoption of a template for introducing technology into the visual grading system for cereal grains, oilseeds and pulses.

Technology transfer template

The Canadian Grain Commission will apply the template when a proposal is made to use technology in grain grading. The application of the template will support the introduction of equipment, calibrations and methods that are robust and that produce consistent and reliable results under operational conditions.

The Canadian Grain Commission will evaluate proposals from both the industry and from its own researchers and inspection specialists. The process will incorporate research, risk assessments, evaluation, and consultations with stakeholders. The Canadian Grain Commission will provide a report on new technology at each meeting of the WSC for the first two years after the technology is in operational use.

Visual grading involves the assessment of various factors by highly trained inspectors and has been a cornerstone of the segregation and marketing of Canadian grains and oilseeds for many years. Under certain circumstances, some grading factors can be extremely difficult to assess visually. The development of technology as a tool to assist inspectors is a key aspect of research and development in the Canadian Grain Commission's Grain Research Laboratory.

The Canadian Grain Commission is already applying the process to evaluate Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) technology to test falling number in wheat. The Canadian Grain Commission views this initiative as a high priority and has dedicated resources in its budget to continue the evaluation of RVA technology using this newly adopted process.

Grading changes

The WSC also recommended the following grading changes to come into effect on August 1, 2005, the start of the new crop year. The changes are subject to the regulatory amendment process.

Wheat, Canada Western Hard White Spring (CWHWS)

Canada Western Hard White wheat will be called Canada Western Hard White Spring and will become a designated class. It will include four grades instead of three. Currently, the grades are created by an Order of the Canadian Grain Commission.

Severely sprouted tolerances for three wheat classes

Tolerances for "severely sprouted" kernels will be introduced in three classes of wheat delivered to western Canadian primary elevators. The classes are Canada Western Soft White Spring, Canada Prairie Spring White and Canada Western Extra Strong. The tolerances are to protect the quality of these classes when weather conditions are conducive to sprout damage. The following are the recommended tolerances:

Grade	Severely sprouted	Total sprouted (includes severely sprouted)
Wheat, Canada Western Soft White Spring (CWSWS)
No. 1 CWSWS	0.1%	1.0%
No. 2 CWSWS	0.3%	5.0%
No. 3 CWSWS	0.3%	8.0%
Wheat, Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW)
No. 1 CPSW	0.1%	0.5%
No. 2 CPSW	0.3%	2.0%
Wheat, Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES)
No. 1 CPSW	0.1%	0.5%
No. 2 CPSW	0.3%	2.0%

Sprout-damaged kernels reduce the water-holding capacity of flour, reducing the number of loaves of bread obtained from a given weight of flour. Sprout damage leads to sticky dough, causing handling problems in the bakery, and coarse, gummy bread that is difficult to slice and package.

Sprouting in wheat occurs under conditions of prolonged dampness or rain. Wheat kernels may start germinating while the wheat is lying in the swath or when the mature crop is standing. Research indicates that a relatively small amount of sprout damaged kernels can do significant damage.

Four other wheat classes - Canada Western Red Spring, Canada Western Amber Durum, Canada Prairie Spring Red and Canada Western Red Winter have tolerances for severely sprouted kernels.

Minimum test weight for Wheat, No. 5 Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD)

A minimum test weight for No. 5 CWAD will be introduced. The test weight will be 65.0 kg/hL.