For the research, U of S has received a contribution of C$328,000 ($330,705) from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) - a department of the government of Canada, which promotes the development and diversification of the economy of Western Canada.
As a part of the research, the U of S's Canadian Feed Research Centre (CFRC) will install and evaluate the new technology which enables grading of individual kernels, (as opposed to whole batches of grain), thereby maximizing value, quality, and food safety.
The scientists will investigate ways to adapt the Swedish technology to western Canadian crops, and provide commercial processing firms with the knowledge to fully utilize the technology's capabilities.
They will also seek to modify the seed sorter to handle larger grains such as peas, beans, corn and flax which are also widely grown in Canada.
Canada's agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said the government's first priority is creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity and this equipment is expected to increase the value of cereal crops produced in Canada.
"Using this technology to sort and grade each kernel will generate greater profits for our grain producers, creating jobs and lasting economic growth," Ritz added.
The BoMill TriQ seed sorter uses near infrared light to evaluate individual seeds for protein, starch or hardness, and then sorts them to meet requirements for food, malt or feed production. The technology, which has a high-volume sorting capacity of 3t per hour, is the first to be capable of sorting commercial volumes of grain.
