1. Cereals Millets and Pulses Important factors constituting quality of different grains can be divided into two categories Inherent characteristics (varietal Characteristics) Acquired characteristics Size, Shape, Colour, Texture, Falvour and relative weight of grains Foreign matter, brokens, admixture, damaged & discoloured grains, insect and fungus infected grains, moisture etc.

2. Proper Sampling of Foodgrains is key to correct grading of a lot of any commodity. Sample drawn should be representative of the quality of the lot from which it is drawn. Foodgrains offered for sale may be in bags or in bulk/heaps. Preliminary survey should be done for segregation of any part which may or may be inferior or substandard in quality. If the lot is not homogenous in nature having inferior quality mixed with good one the lot should be rejected. When lot is of homogenous quality we should proceed for sampling.

3. Sampling from bagged grains in stacks The scale of sampling shall be as given below: No. of bags in the lotNo. of bags to be sampled Upto 30All bags 31 to 30030 bags 301 to 1,00050 bags 1,001 to 2,000100 bags 2,001 and above5% for smaller sized good grains and 120 bags for bigger size Foodgrains.

4. Selection of bags for sampling purpose according to the foregoing scale shall be done at random and should cover bags from various positions in the stack. The procedure to be adopted shall be as under: Starting from any container, count all the containers in one order as 1,2,3,… upto r and so on. Every ‘r’ th container so counted shall be withdrawn to give a sample for test where r=N/n. N- is total no. of bags. n is no of bags to be sampled.

5. For sampling different devices such as Parkhi, slaughted tube sampler, deep bin pro, are in use. Tube sampler is best for consignments in bags. It is inserted vertically, diagonally and widthwise to draw samples. It should reach centre of the bag. Samples so drawn should be spread on clean plank or any suitable receptacle. Samples from different bags should not be mixed till visual examination of the sample is complete. When found homogenous should be mixed to constitute composite sample.

6. Sampling of bulk grains (Heaps, bins & silos etc) The scale of sampling for Foodgrains in bulk shall be as under: Quantity of consignmentNo. of spots from which sampling are to be drawn Upto 300 tonnes30 spotsSpots should cover different points of the bulk 301 – 1,000 tonnes50 spots 1,001 tonnes and above100 spots

7. Samples so drawn should be mixed and blended to constitute homogenous composite sample and should be divided into smaller parts through sample divider. Final sample should be sealed in cloth bag and should carry a label that will contain following particulars: 1. Name of the commodity and variety. 2. Lot number 3. Quantity, Whether in bags or in bulk. 4. Place and date of sampling. 5. Details of Wagon. Truck/ warehouse in the case of bulk samples. 6. Name of the sampling officer. 7. Signature.

8. METHODS OF ANALYSIS OF FOODGRAINS Definitions: 1.Paddy- Rice from which the husk is not removed or hulled out. 2.Raw rice- Rice derived directly from dried paddy by milling or pounding without any other treatment prior to hulling. 3.Parboiled rice- Rice derived from paddy which has been treated with added moisture and heat before hulling. 4.Machine-milled rice- Rice derived from paddy which has been hulled and milled with the help of machine. 5.Hand-pounded rice- Rice derived from paddy using mortar and pestle and manual labour.

9. 6.Foreign matter- Organic and inorganic matter other than Foodgrains. The organic matter consists of chaff, straw, weedseeds and any other non-foodgrains. The inorganic matter include dust, stones, lumps of earth, sand etc. 7.Admixture- Presence of inferior varieties in a superior variety. 8.Damaged and discoloured- Grains that are internally damaged or discoloured, damage and discolouration masterially affecting the quality. 9.Slightly damaged/slightly touched- Grains that are superficially damaged or discoloured, damage and discolouration not materially affecting the quality. 10. Immature, shriveled and green- Grains that are not properly developed, shrunken in shape and which are grassy green in colour.

10. 11. Chalky- Grains at least half of which is milky white in colour and brittle in nature. 12. Weevilled- Grains that are partially or wholly bored or eaten away by weevil or other grain insects. 13. Brokens- Brokens shall include pieces of rice kernels which are less than 3/4 th of the whole kernel. Pieces smaller than ¼ of the kernel are to be treated as fragments. 14. Other Foodgrains- Edible Foodgrains other than the principal grain. 15. Non-foodgrains- Edible seeds other than Foodgrains. 16. Red kernels- Kernels, whole or broken, which have 1/4 th or more of their surface coated with red bran. 17. Wholegrain- Kernels which are 3/4 th or more of the size of the full grain.

11. 18. Fragments- Kernels which are less than 1/4 th of the size of the full grain. 19. Smutty grain- Smut is a fungoid disease. The affected grain develop sooty mycelium within the kernel, and has dark, black patches on the surface and, in some cases, stinks like rotten fish. 20. Half-boiled rice- The kernels of parboiled rice which have residual patch of ungelatinised area. 21. Red Wheats- Wheat grains having distinctly dark reddish or deep brownish colour. 22. Partially husked splits and wholes (Both husked and unhusked) include – (1) Pieces that are partially husked; and (2) wholes, whether with husk or without husk.

12. OILSEEDS Number of sub-lots for Oilseeds in Bags Number of bags in a lotMinimum number of sub-lots Up to 3002 301 to 1,0003 1,001 to 3,0004 3,001 and over5

13. Number of Sub-lots for Oilseeds in Bulk Weight of Oilseeds in a lotMinimum number of sub-lots Upto 30 tonnes2 31 to 100 tonnes3 101 to 300 tonnes4 Over 300 tonnes5

14. Scale of Sampling for Bagged Oilseeds Number of bags in the lotNumber of bags to be sampled for Small Oil-seedsMedium and large oil- seeds Upto 5058 51 to 100813 101 to 1501320 151 to 3002032 301 and above3250

15. TERMINOLOGY –Means the items of determination separated by following the appropriate method of physical analysis according to definitions. Definitions: 1. Foreign Matter- Organic and inorganic matter other than oil seeds. The organic matter consists of chaff, straw, weedseeds and any other non-oilseeds. The inorganic matter includes dust, stones, lumps of earth, sand, etc. 2. Damaged-Internally damaged or discoloured, damage and discolouration materially affecting the quality. In the case of unshelled groundnut it includes pods that are damaged mechanically or by mould, weevil or any other insect attack. 3. Slightly damaged- Superficially damaged or discoloured, damage and discolouration not materially affecting the quality.

16. 4.Unripe, shriveled and immature- Those which are not properly developed. 5. Splits- Those which are broken into two halves length- wise. 6.Brokens- Those which are smaller than half but bigger than 1/16 th of the whole seed. 7.Nooks- Small parts of the seed measuring 1/16 th or less of the whole seed. 8.Dead seed- Seeds which are duds and can easily be crushed by hand. 9.Small atrophied seed- Seeds not retained in sieves with 14 meshes per linear inch (1" = 2.54 cm.) 10. Weevilled- Seeds that are partly or wholly bored or eaten by weevils or insects. 11.Admixture of other varieties/ other coloured seeds- Seeds of any colour other than that of the specific variety or form. 12.Shelling percentage- Weight of groundnut kernels obtained from 100 gm. of pods.

17. SAMPLING Composite Representative Sample should be drawn with the help of sampling equipments as per plan given above: Composite samples should be divided into three parts (500 gms each) One of these should be sent to laboratory for analysis.

18. Laboratory Analysis: The analyzer should note details on the sample slip in his register and then open the bag and pour it on suitable flat surface. Say glass or table top. Spread it into a circle of about 8 to 10 inches diameter and 1 to 2 cms thick. Then with the help of small scoop, scoop sample from centre and periphery. From this take 20 gms for physical analysis. In physical analysis various refractions are separated physically and percentage found. Similar analytical techniques are to be followed in case of pulses and oil seeds. Moisture is to be estimate separately by hot air oven method.