International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Pre-harvest sprouting is the premature germination of cereal seeds so that the embryo starts growing while still on the head in the field. Grain germination before the harvest is a serious problem in many wheat-growing areas of the world. The grain and flour quality parameters impacted by pre-harvest sprouting are strongly related with climatic variables and soil water condition. This process especially occurs when wet conditions delay harvest. Spouted seed is usually inadequate for flour productions. Products made of sprouted flour are generally unacceptable to producers and consumers. Moreover, it is also often inadequate as feed because microbiological contamination. However, it seems that such kind of waste grain can be utilized for energetic purposes. The aim of the present work was to study the grinding process of sprouted wheat. The heat of combustion of sprouted grain and sound grains was also determined. Three-day germinated kernels of three wheat varieties were used for investigation. After germination the wheat kernels were dried at 40°C by using an air dryer to obtain the same moisture as that of the grain before sprouting (14.0% w.b.). The sound kernels were used as a control sample. The sprouted and the sound samples of grain were ground by using the knife mill MG-200. The results showed that the sprouting of wheat had a significant influence on the grinding process, both on the particle size distribution and grinding energy requirements. The sprouting caused a decrease in the average particle size and value of specific grinding energy in all cultivars. The values of specific grinding energy ranged average from 21.6 kJ·kg-1 to 23.6 for kJ·kg-1 fore sprouted and sound kernels, respectively. The heat of combustion of sprouted grain was only slightly lower value of this parameter obtained for sound grain and ranged from 15.9 to 16.5 MJ/kg.

Feeding of rooster sires with sprouted grain significantly increases their productivity. A new acoustic cavitation method of intensification of grain sprouting process is offered. In water sound waves are created. When passing sound waves in water in a vakuummetric phase liquid is broken off with formation of cavitational cavities. These cavities collapse in a manometrical phase of a sound wave. Influence of the collapsing cavitational cavities causes a stress of biological object, its fast awakening and the accelerated development. At the same time there is a heating and decrease in viscosity of liquid substances, increase of speed of chemical, physical, biological processes. Massage action from a collapse on membranes of cages strengthens diffusion and a metabolism through membranes and in cages. Dynamic impulses kill pathogenic microorganisms, and without chemical reagents and at low temperatures (200 – 300), that is without destruction of protein and mechanical damages etc.
Wheat seeds were treated in the passive zone of a vortex cavitator. This resulted in germinating ability increase on the third day from 43% to 88%, or in germination time reduction from three to one day along with the quality level comparable with the control lots. Germination ability of vortex cavitator-treated seeds at all modes, except for t=500, exceeds the germination ability of control lots sprouted with a traditional method.
Excess germination ability of the treated seeds in rela tion to the control lots is 200%, thus assuming a twofold feed quality improvement.
Germination ability of vortex cavitator-treated seeds after the first sprouting day is comparable with the control lot germination on the third day. This gives the possibility to reduce technological process time up to one day with the existing quality level. Irrigation of seeds treated in a vortex cavitator with water from the active cavitator zone increases germinating ability up to 97%, or reduces process time from three days to six hours providing the quality comparable with the original process.
In this method of processing some ways of impact on biological object are combined: soaking, thermal influence, vibration, cavitational, diffusive, etc. All seeds processed on a cavitator have the raised development indicators in relation to seeds of control party including on viability, energy of germination, this grain positively influences efficiency of roosters.