ASTM International (ASTM) has announced that it has developed a standard (E3503) that will address a specific need in the ethanol industry: measuring corn kernel fiber conversion for various applications, including regulatory pathways. The new test method targets hemicellulose analysis for ethanol, food, and sustainability applications.
The corn kernel fiber standard was developed by the biomass conversion subcommittee (E48.05), part of ASTM’s bioenergy and industrial chemicals from biomass committee (E48).
According to ASTM member Tessa Schmitz, the method’s “simplicity and safety make it valuable to a wide range of users. Laboratories and industries seeking to measure hemi-cellulosic sugars—such as those in sustainability, food, beverages, and baking—will find it useful.”
Schmitz adds that the method avoids the hazards and specialized equipment demands of traditional acid hydrolysis techniques, making it safer and more accessible.
It was designed with a dual focus: delivering high-quality results while minimizing technician time and touchpoints, making it ideal for commercial testing environments.
Think of starch and cellulosic content as a fruit salad: apples represent starch, oranges represent cellulose, grapes are hemicellulose, and bananas are lignin. While the ethanol industry is interested in ethanol production from the whole salad, regulatory bodies often need to measure specific fruits. This new method focuses on the “grapes”—hemicellulose—providing targeted data without interference from the other components, said Tessa Schmitz, Director of Quality Assurance at Soliton LLC, an ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory and a member of ASTM International.
This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #7 on affordable and clean energy, #9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure, #12 on responsible consumption and production, and #13 on climate action.
