The demands on working equipment in the grain sector are growing. Growing pressure due to the handling of a large and seasonally fluctuating number of deliveries and increasing staff shortages must be taken into account in addition to high reliability and safety of the measurement results. Modern operation and high working speed are basic requirements to ensure maximum safety in the precise classification and quality assurance of incoming batches, especially in peak season during the grain harvest. Grains, pulses and oilseeds are natural products that behave differently in each field depending on soil and weather conditions. Climate change, reduced fertilizer application and breeding advances affect the quality that the trade must reliably classify and maintain. Moisture is a key parameter here and is closely linked to commercial decisions.

Accurate drying and efficient use of energy in storage require precise measurement technology in order to obtain a solid basis for invoicing and to ensure the value retention of raw materials for feed and food production.

Studies by American researchers have already developed a method for this purpose years ago, which aims at the optimal penetration of the grains when determining the moisture. This requires high measuring frequencies. This new generation of whole-grain measuring instruments are high-frequency measuring instruments that operate at a measuring frequency of up to 185 MHz. This not only ensures full grain penetration, but also delivers a precise measurement result in less than 15 seconds. For this purpose, these devices determine the reflection of a measurement signal according to the ‘Unified Grain Moisture Algorithm’ (UGMA). The measured value is corrected depending on the weighed mass and the sample temperature. This is the basis for the precise determination of product moisture, bulk density (kg/hl) and sample temperature of agricultural grains. The measurement is performed on the whole grain.

Pfeuffer, as a long-standing expert in the field of moisture measurement, has integrated and refined this measuring principle in the new Granomat plus whole grain moisture meter. The standard version is calibrated for field beans, spelt, durum, peas, barley, oats, corn, rapeseed, rye, soybeans, sunflowers, triticale and wheat. As part of the type approval, the Granomat plus was conformity-assessed last year by the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and thus conforms to calibration law in Germany for the determination of moisture in legal transactions. In addition to the calibrations tested there, further calibrations can be created individually in consultation with the application department of Pfeuffer GmbH.

The stored crops can be grouped into favorites on the color display with the help of symbols, so that crops can be changed quickly. Crops that are not currently required disappear into the background. The intuitive symbols also make it easier to set up, select products, start measurement, print out and transfer measurement results.

After filling a measuring cup with the sample (600 ml), all that remains to be done is to press the measuring button. Automatic filling of the measuring cell ensures uniform bulk density. A scraper removes excess grains in a flash for a constant sample volume in the instrument and a high repeatability. Automatic emptying of the measuring cell into the instrument drawer makes it available again immediately. The measurement result is displayed, printed out via the integrated thermal printer and transferred to the company network (LAN) for further processing. 

The Granomat plus is a communication talent and offers a standard interface for connection to higher-level data processing and merchandise management systems. The network connection (Ethernet via RJ45 socket) makes it easy to adapt the socket interface for exporting measurement results in the LAN. Alternatively, the instrument saves the measurement data in a data server in the LAN/WLAN to an MS Access® database.

The Granomat PLUS also has two USB ports for connecting a barcode scanner or keyboard for sample assignment. It can also be used to connect storage media, e.g. for mobile export and easy processing of measurement data in a spreadsheet on a laptop or smartphone.

The Granomat plus is characterized by its robust and simple design. It increases the accessibility of the feed hopper and drawer for cleaning and makes this new measuring instrument a reliable helper in recording the incoming quality.

 Operation of the whole-grain moisture meter is as intuitive as a smartphone.

 The meter, which is calibrated and approved in Germany, comes in a robust steel housing.

 A clear touch display and the integrated printer facilitate the daily work of harvest recording.

 The sample volume of 600ml ensures good representativeness of the measurement results.

As an internationally active specialist in sampling and grain measurement technology, Pfeuffer has more than 75 years of experience in equipment for agriculture, trade, mills, mixed feed plants, seed breeding, malting plants and breweries. The product portfolio covers the entire field of grain quality control. Vertical integration - from development and manufacturing to sales and maintenance of the systems - offers high quality, precision and investment security.

In the test field, all Pfeuffer equipment is extensively validated by experienced staff and then conformity assessed by official bodies.

Pfeuffer GbmH brings its 75 years of service experience with quality control products in the field of grain and seed processing industries to Turkey as Peuffer Turk.

Pfeuffer Turk, which started its operations in Ankara as of June 2, 2023, aims to be among the pioneers of the sector with its high-tech products that provide fast and reliable results in the quality control processes of grains and seeds.

Pfeuffer Turk started to work to plan the market requirements with a service approach that focuses on customer satisfaction by offering innovative and economical solutions.