SUITABILITY OF GRAIN OF WHEAT AND TRITICA LE FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION AS DEPENDENT ON THE PROCESSING DATE AFTER MATURITY

The suitability of grains of winter wheat and winter triticale for bio ethanol production as dependent on the processing date after maturity was investigated. Furthermore the correlation between falling number a nd the suitability of grains for autoamylolytic processing was checked . Grain material sets of two cultivars per species from two field tria ls were used. Species and cultivars were chosen on account of high gra in yields per ha and high native enzyme activities. Partly including h arvesting dates, grain sets were investigated 2 to 11 months after mat urity Under addition (+e) and without an addition (-e) of technical en zymes the bioethanol output per unit of dry matter (1/dt) was analyzed . Additionally the falling numbers were determined. The output results allowed the calculation of the autoamylolytic quotient. Based on grai n yields (dt/ha) bioethanol yields (1/ha) were calculated. Related to increasing periods between maturity and processing under addition of t echnical enzymes and particularly without technical enzymes the bioeth anol output raised cultivar specifically The bioethanol surplus amount ed up to 1.11 (+e) and up to 9.6 I/dt dry matter (-e) respectively. Th e bioethanol yields (1/ha) were reduced by cultivar specific trends ac cording to yield depression at a delayed harvest time. Presumably the yield depression referred to grain shattering. A forecast of the autoa mylolytic processing suitability by the falling numbers of the investi gated grain sets proved to be doubtful. Effects of storage conditions on the suitability for processing need further investigations.