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Vomitoxin


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We were told that most wheat in our area has a small amount of vomitoxn. i'm sending a sample of the wheat we have to be tested. my question is, will vomitoxn make it's way into a distilled spirit? anyone had trouble with this?

Thanks, Brad.

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I suppose it depends on how much of it is in your samples. The washing action is limited when you're malting, but since you aren't, that's zero help. DON levels have been on the rise of late, apparently, but my experience is on the brewing side, where DON (vomitoxin) leads to gushing in packaged beer... something you and I don't have to worry about.

The concern isn't the toxin getting over in the distillate (it won't). The concern is any off flavors/aromas you might get from the wheat, which, since diseased, is vulnerable to all sorts of stuff. DON in very high amounts can lead to problems with attenuation, but that's unlikely.

Two suggestions: one, stay away from this wheat if you can help it. If you can't, then tread lightly, doing a test mash/distillation if it's possible. Keep a close eye on all your "normal" readings in your measurements of the mash/fermenation, and if anything looks funny, you should be concerned.

Edit to add... you have to be careful about using this stillage as animal feed. It's called vomitoxin for a reason, as I'd imagine you know.

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Thanks. i guess the DON is now in the fields, and will take a while to go away. i'm having a sample tested to see how much(if any) is present. thanks again for the help.

Brad

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Curious how much it costs to have a sample tested? And what does a sample cover? 1 season, 1 batch, 1 field, 1 acre?

Personally, this seems like one of those things you will look back at and say "why did i walk down this path?". Lots of other things to worry about and spend money on, the toxin content of your raw material shouldn't be one of them....

Best of luck,

-Scott

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Siebel Institute does a full work up on a .5 kg sample for <$400, if I recall (it's been a while). It is VERY important to do your best to get a representative sample. State Ag. Departments can help with those procedures.

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The concern isn't the toxin getting over in the distillate (it won't). The concern is any off flavors/aromas you might get from the wheat, which, since diseased, is vulnerable to all sorts of stuff.

The above concern shouldn't be underestimated. Consistency is key to customers remaining loyal.

So what happens if a test comes back positive for DON? Is the grain discarded? Are you testing a sample from a purchased tote of grain, or from a field before harvest?

Just curious for more info on this topic, thanks for the replies!

-Scott

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It's from a 50 bl bag. the crazy thing seems to be the unreliability of the testing. with the FDA acceptable level being 2 ppm, it doesn't take much to be considered bad. What if it comes back bad? i don't know. I heard of a truck driver delivering corn to cargil, he failed the test for DON, got back in line and passed the second time trough. i don't know what to think of it!

Brad.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have more experience with vom than I would care to admit. NY white wheat has serious problems some years with it.

I can do testing for people at $20.00 per sample. representative samples are critical. If you have less than 2ppm it's not an issue more than that it can be. You can do your own testing by visual exam. If you see any chalky berries you have an issue, if you see any berries with pink color on them you are over 15 ppm and you do not want that wheat. Also you should know barley and even corn can have vom issues as well as wheat.

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  • 2 years later...

I know this thread is a bit old, but my potential source for wheat is telling me that they average 3ppm DON. There seems to be some scant evidence that it affects the mashing and fermentation efficiency, but at this level it may not have a big impact. Is there evidence that it affects the flavor of the distilled spirits?

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  • 4 weeks later...

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