Prof. Senay Simsek

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) occurs when physiologically mature kernels begin germinating in the spike. The objective of this study was to provide fundamental information on physicochemical changes of starch due to PHS in Hard Red Spring (HRS) and Hard White Spring (HWS) wheat. The mean values of α-amylase activity of non-sprouted and sprouted wheat samples were 0.12 CU/g and 2.00 CU/g, respectively. Sprouted samples exhibited very low peak and final viscosities compared to non-sprouted wheat samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that starch granules in sprouted samples were partially hydrolyzed. Based on High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography (HPSEC) profiles, the starch from sprouted samples had relatively lower molecular weight than that of non-sprouted samples. Overall, high α-amylase activity caused changes to the physicochemical properties of the PHS damaged wheat.

About Me

Dr. Senay Simsek is a professor and head of the Department of Food Science at Purdue University. She is also a Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research faculty member at the Food Science Department at Purdue University. She completed her Ph.D. in food science at Purdue University in 2006. She has a BS in chemistry and an MS in biochemistry. She has authored or co-authored hundreds of research papers and conference contributions in the areas of wheat quality, mycotoxin analysis, and carbohydrate chemistry. Her research focuses on four major areas: (i) polysaccharide structure and molecular interactions in cereals; (ii) starch chemistry, analysis, and digestibility; (iii) the application of HPLC, GC-MS, UPLC, LC-QTOF, and NMR in structural studies of carbohydrates and polysaccharides; and (iv) the improvement of wheat quality.

Prof. Senay Simsek

Prof. Senay Simsek

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