COMPARISON OF METHODS OF DETERMINING MOISTURE IN CORN TISSUES

Abstract

The alcoholic extraction method proved to be less variable than the sap expression, toluene distillation, or air drying methods. The differences in moisture content due to differences in kind of tissue and to seasonal changes as measured by the four methods were almost perfectly correlated (r = 0.986 and over). The air drying method indicated a significantly lower moisture content than any of the other methods. The differences were small, however, and may have resulted from the specific technique employed. Sap expression, toluene distillation, and alcoholic extraction all indicated an almost identical moisture content within very narrow limits of random sampling.