Total alcoholic acidity and pH tests as quality parameters in stored soybean grains

Despite the technology available to agriculture, qualitative and quantitative losses occurring during post-harvest are still not controlled, and stored grains may undergo changes in their composition, due to storage conditions. This study aimed at determining the sensitivity of the alcoholic acidity and pH tests in soybean (GB 874RR cultivar) grains with different quality standards obtained during storage. A completely randomized design, in a 3 x 6 x 5 (3 storage conditions x 6 storage times x 5 methods) factorial scheme, was used. A correlation was observed among pH, total acidity content (r = 0.888) and grain quality parameters. Deterioration was identified based on the total acidity content, showing a high correlation with fungal incidence (r = 0.864), ether extract (r = -0.781) and electrical conductivity (r = 0.923). The use of phenolphthalein as indicator is more sensitive than pH 8.8. Among the pH determination methods, AOAC was the most suitable for assessing the quality loss during storage.