Cereal Chem 47:522 - 532.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Changes in Wheat Lipids During Seed Maturation. I. Physical and Chemical Changes in the Kernel.

S. K. Skarsaune, V. L. Youngs, and K. A. Gilles. Copyright 1970 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

As the moisture content of two varieties of HRS and two varieties of durum wheat decreased from 70 to 12% (30 days preripe to maturity), increases in kernel weight and size were measured. During this time, the ash content of both the whole wheat and its respective flour decreased linearly whereas the protein content increased erratically. When protein and ash contents were calculated on a per-kernel basis, both showed a consistent increase as the wheat ripened. The total fat content, determined by acid hydrolysis, reached a maximum when the moisture content of the grain was near 65%, after which it declined steadily. The average lipid content of the four varieties, expressed in mg. fat per kernel, increased threefold during maturation. Successive lipid extractions by petroleum ether and water-saturated n-butanol (WSB) were performed on samples of ground whole wheat, flour, and bran from all varieties at each stage of maturity. The proportion of sugars and free amino acids, which were extracted by WSB, decreased with maturity. Infrared analysis of the lipid extract indicated changes in the lipids with maturity.