A grain of wheat can become a loaf of bread, a packet of noodles, a breakfast cereal or something we may never see on a supermarket shelf.
So how do people in the grains industry know what a particular crop is suitable for?
They test it.
What may look like a simple grain can provide a surprising amount of information when it is analysed in a laboratory. Protein, moisture, dietary fibre and other characteristics can all help determine how grain is valued, processed, used and sold.
And behind each result is a decision that someone needs to make.
One grain, different questions
For a grower, the results of testing can help determine the quality and value of a crop. In Australia, protein and moisture measurements are among the factors used in determining payments for wheat and barley, meaning reliable testing can have a direct impact on growers.
For a processor, testing can help determine whether grain has the characteristics needed for a particular product. For food manufacturers, analytical results can contribute to product development and nutritional information. For exporters, testing can provide evidence that grain meets the specifications and requirements of international markets.
The questions may be different, but they all rely on confidence in the test results being used to make those decisions.
When a number has consequences
It is easy to think of laboratory testing as simply producing a number.
But consider what that number can mean.
A protein result might influence the value of a farmer’s crop. It could help a processor decide how grain can be used. A dietary fibre result could contribute to the nutritional information provided for a food product. A test result may also help an exporter demonstrate that a shipment meets a customer’s requirements.
The number itself is only part of the story. The real value is in being able to rely on it when making a decision.
That is why the competence of the laboratory matters.
Where accreditation fits
NATA accreditation provides an independent assessment of a laboratory’s technical competence for the specific testing activities within its scope of accreditation. For laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, this includes assessing their competence, methods, equipment and processes for the testing they undertake.
NATA’s role is to independently assess whether the laboratory is competent to carry out the specified testing and produce reliable results.
In other words, accreditation doesn’t make the decision. It helps give the person making the decision confidence in the information they are relying on.
A history of testing that continues to matter
The former AEGIC Analytical Services laboratory in Sydney, now part of Symbio Laboratories, is one example of the role accredited testing has played in Australia’s grains industry.
Originally established as the Bread Research Institute of Australia, the laboratory maintained NATA accreditation for more than 70 years. Its testing supported growers, processors and exporters, as well as areas including product development and nutritional analysis. Dietary fibre became a particular area of expertise, with accredited data used in Nutrition Information Panels for a range of grain food products.
The laboratory’s work also supported farmer payment programs, where testing of wheat and barley helps determine protein and moisture content.
These examples show just how far a laboratory result can travel. What begins as a test in a laboratory can ultimately influence a payment to a grower, a decision by a processor, information provided to a consumer or a transaction with an international buyer.
More than a measurement
That is the real story behind grain testing.
One grain can inform many decisions. But those decisions are only as good as the information behind them.
This Whole Grains Month, it is worth looking beyond the products on our shelves and recognising the science, testing and technical expertise that support Australia’s grains industry.
Because sometimes, one small measurement can have a much bigger impact than you might think.