Determination of Germination Percentage and Germination Index – Collaborative Trial and Ruggedness Testing

Submitted on behalf of the Analysis Committee of the European Brewery Convention

Abstract

A method for the determination of Germination Percentage and Germination Index in malting barley has been tested by the EBC Analysis Committee and approved for inclusion in Analytica-EBC. In the collaborative trial three pairs of barley samples with high, medium and low vigour were analysed by 16 laboratories. The r₉₅ values for the Germination Percentage ranged from 0.5% to 6.3% and the R₉₅ values ranged from 0.5% to 8.7% increasing with lower level of mean germination percentage. The r₉₅ values for the Germination Index ranged from 0.29 to 0.74 and the R₉₅ values ranged from 0.87 to 1.20. The ruggedness testing of the Germination Index shows that the factor temperature has a minor, but significant effect on the result. The factors time for the first count together with the volume of water, have major significant effects. The tested factors have no significant effect on Germination Percentage.