A sample of grain is identified as damp if the moisture content exceeds the tough range defined for that class of grain. In terms of moisture content, grain is classified as straight, tough, or damp. For corn, soybeans, sunflower seed and safflower seed, there are two additional classes of moisture content, moist and wet.

Darkened kernels (amber durum) – Darkened kernels are similar in appearance to penetrated smudge with the exception that discolouration is gray to charcoal in colour rather than red to dark brown.

For grading purposes, darkened kernels should be considered as, and in conjunction with severe midge damage.

Degermed kernels have had their germ removed. If the sample contains sprouted kernels, degermed kernels that are clearly not mechanically damaged are classed as sprouted. Degermed kernels are a grading factor for wheat, rye and triticale.

Occasionally used for hulled.

Direct hit shipments are those shipments where Canadian grains, oilseeds and/or pulses are transferred from trucks and/or railcars directly to a vessel without added processing.

According to the Canada Grain Act, dockage is material that must be removed from grain by the use of approved cleaning equipment so that the grain can be assigned a grade. Once it has been removed from the grain, dockage is called screenings.

To report the percentage by weight of dockage in a sample,

Allowances are made for finely broken seeds in indirect export shipments.

Earth pellets are a type of foreign material found in grains.

Soft earth pellets include soft fertilizer pellets, except in domestic mustard seed, and any non-toxic material of a similar consistency. Earth pellets remaining in cleaned samples are handpicked and, up to specified tolerances, their percentage by weight is added to the percentage by weight of dockage in domestic shipments to terminals. Export shipments must be practically free from earth pellets.

Hard earth pellets are stones.

Mixtures of eastern and western grain, except for corn, are graded [class of grain] Sample Eastern and Western Mixed. When the composition of the samples is known or can be established by analysis, it is recorded on the back of the inspection certificate.

Separate lots of western corn may be loaded to vessels without separation at the request of shippers.

The Electronic Inspection System, used by inspectors to determine test weight, dockage and grading factor percentages, includes a computer, electronic scale and a printer.

Licensed grain elevators are of four types: primary, process, transfer and terminal.

End-use certificates are issued upon request for grain imported into Canada as prescribed under the Canada Grain Act.

Ergot is a fungal disease which occurs on cereals and grasses. It is most prevalent on rye, triticale, wheat, and barley, in decreasing order of occurrence. It is rarely found on oats. The disease produces hard dense fungus bodies, called sclerotia, having a purplish black exterior, a purplish white to off-white interior, and a relatively smooth surface texture.

Excreta is the grading factor term used for excrement from any animal including mammals, birds and insects.

Usually excreta are removed as dockage. Any that remains may become a grading factor.

Experimental grades are established to provide the Canadian Wheat Board a way to market new varieties of wheat and barley to assess their acceptability in world markets.

Export ready refers to carlots which meet the following criteria:

• The lot must meet the commercially clean specifications for the grade
• Wheat of other classes and contrasting classes must meet the export specifications for the grade
• Total foreign material must meet the export specification for the grade.

Carlots, which are commercially clean but do not meet the export specifications for either wheat of other classes or total foreign material, will be designated as “Not Ready for Export”.

Can be defined as glass, metal, wood, plastic or any other material not already defined in the Official Grain Grading Guide.

Note: Canadian Grain Commission personnel should refer to ISO national work instruction “Suspect Contaminated Grain, Handling Procedures” for specific procedures to be followed when handling samples suspected of containing extraneous materials.

FAQ is a term used in grain marketing in some countries to describe the current year’s grain quality on the basis of an average sample. The FAQ is a class of grain which is said to represent the quality of a commodity produced in a given year.  FAQ standards of quality may change from year to year.

The falling number is a measure of enzyme activity as a result of sprouting. It is a measure of how many seconds it takes for a plunger to sink through a paste made of ground grain and water.

The test works on the principle that the presence of alpha-amylase causes the gelatinized starch to be reduced to sugars, with a loss of viscosity. The loss in viscosity results in a lower falling number. Samples of grain with high amounts of alpha-amylase will have a falling number of around 70 seconds. Grain which is sound and has low levels of enzyme will have a high falling number, for example, 350 seconds.

Fertilizer pellets are pellitized plant nutrients which are typically small, hard and either round and white, or irregular-shaped and pink or red. Fertilizer pellets are not considered a hazardous substance however there is no visible means of assuring that material resembling fertilizer pellets is not some other contaminant. Refer to the specific grain chapter for assessment procedures.

Fireburnt kernels are kernels burned or scorched by fire. A cross-section of a fireburnt kernel resembles charcoal, with numerous air holes. These air holes result in a low-weight kernel which crumbles easily under pressure.

The Off-Grades of Grades of Grain and Grades of Screenings Order excludes from any Class I or Class II grade any grain having a fireburnt odour or containing fireburnt kernels in excess of established tolerances, because it is not possible to separate all kernels affected by smoke or heat from samples containing grain damaged by fire.

If the inspector suspects that a sample or shipment of grain is not of Canadian origin, the shipper must provide a letter indicating the country of origin, before official grading occurs.

Unofficial samples

Inspection services may be provided for samples of foreign grains. Certificates or letters must clearly indicate that the grade provided is the grade the sample would qualify for if the grain had been of Canadian origin.

Official samples, terminal receipts

Inspection records and certificates specify the class of grain and, in place of the grade, the country of origin. For example, Corn, USA origin.

Foreign material is material other than grain of the same class that remains in the sample after the removal of dockage. Some examples of foreign materials found in grain samples are:

• Cereal grains, sometimes called other cereal grains
• Earth pellets, soft
• Ergot
• Fertilizer pellets, hard
• Large seeds
• Matter other than cereal grains
• Roughage
• Sclerotinia
• Small oilseeds
• Small seeds
• Stones

Many of the materials, such as stones, ergot, and sclerotinia have separate tolerances. Foreign material reduces the value—there is less desired grain for the weight or volume purchased. In addition, the presence of foreign material in grain compromises our reputation for clean grain.

Even the presence of other cereal grains can compromise the quality of the predominant grain. For example, the presence of barley in wheat reduces milling yield. Oats in red spring wheat reduces milling yield and gives the flour a duller colour.

Oilseed quality is determined in part by the free fatty acid test.

Free fatty acids are components that reduce the smoke point in frying fats and oxidize rapidly, giving rancid flavours.

The test gives a direct measure of the processing qualities of the oil and the amount of lye required to refine oils. Top canola seed usually has less than 0.7% free fatty acids. International specifications for top grade oil are usually set at 2.0% free fatty acids.

The severity of frost damage depends on the stage of maturity of the grain, the temperature to which the grain is exposed, and the duration of exposure.

In wheat, as the degree of frost damage increases,

• Wheat milling becomes more difficult
• Flour yield decreases
• Flour ash content increases
• Flour colour becomes darker, which may not be commercially acceptable
• Bread volume, appearance, crumb structure and crumb colour deteriorate

Frost/heat stress refers to wheat kernels with blistered brans as a result of exposure to freezing temperatures or prolonged hot weather conditions. The degree of blistering ranges from fine to coarse and is dependent upon the maturity of the grain, the temperature to which the grain is exposed and the duration of the exposure. Samples containing kernels affected by frost/heat stress are graded according to the degree of soundness definition as reflected in the standard or guide samples for each grade.

Fusarium head blight is a fungal disease of wheat and other cereal crops.

In wheat it is characterized by the presence of kernels that appear lifeless, thin and shrunken. The kernels show a whitish or pinkish fibrous mould usually occurring in the crease area but sometimes found in the germ of the kernel as well. The presence of the mould on individual kernels is confirmed using a 10-power magnifier.

Fusarium may produce mycotoxins such as vomitoxin. Affected grain may be unpalatable or toxic to animals, and is considered acceptable for human consumption only when virtually free of mycotoxins.