Geometry-aware Analysis of Wheat Grain Hydration Prior to Milling

This study presents an analysis of the geometry and short-time hydration of two wheat varieties widely cultivated in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan "Asr" and "Alekseevich". Linear dimensions (length, width, thickness) were measured with a digital caliper (precision 0.001 mm); microstructure was examined by optical microscopy; and surface/volume characteristics were reconstructed from 3D scans. Hydration kinetics were assessed gravimetrically at 5 min intervals up to 30 min under cold (20–25 °C) and warm (40–50 °C) conditions. "Asr" grains were found to be larger across all axes (length 5.6 ± 0.3 mm; width 2.45 ± 0.2 mm; thickness 2.05 ± 0.2 mm) than "Alekseevich" (5.3 ± 0.2, 2.2 ± 0.2, 1.9 ± 0.2 mm; p < 0.05). Mass gain at 30 min was higher in warm compared with cold conditions (9.1% vs. 4.2% for Asr; 8.5% vs. 3.9% for Alekseevich). Box-plot analysis confirmed significantly faster water uptake for "Asr" under both regimes. An ellipsoidal multi-layer diffusion framework was applied to link grain geometry with predicted moisture-penetration times (t_50,t_95). The results demonstrate that geometry-aware conditioning can improve millability and flour quality while reducing repeated wetting–drying cycles.