Stored wheat insect infestation related to uric acid as determined by liquid chromatography

Liquid chromatography is used to measure the uric acid content of wheat internally infested by various growth stages of granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius), rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), and lesser grain borer (Ryzopertha dominica). Good correlation exists between numbers of insects and uric acid content of grain infested by a given stage of an internally infesting stored product insect, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.970 to 0.998. Uric acid content of infested grain increases as the insect life cycle progresses, with granary weevil producing the greatest quantities of uric acid followed in order by rice weevil and lesser grain borer. A detection limit for the analytical procedure of less than 1.0 ppm uric acid allows detection of infestation levels as low as one kernel per 100 g grain for late instar granary weevil larvae. This limit is sufficiently sensitive to detect levels of infestation that may be commonly encountered in commerce.