The purity of seeds intended for processing for human consumption or animal feed is an essential element from a technological and consumer safety standpoint. Some impurities can be easily separated during the cleaning operations, while others are more difficult to remove, thereby altering the organoleptic and technological qualities of the end products. Certain impurities contain toxic substances, while others act as a source of microbial contamination for the final product, leading to mycotoxicological contamination. Depending on the ease of removing impurities, they can be classified as black impurities (mineral impurities, damaged grains, organic impurities, completely compromised grains due to insects, weed seeds, etc.), white impurities (cracked, crushed, stained, or dry grains of the main crop), and hard-to-separate impurities that have similar shape and size to the seeds of the main crop.

Among the hard-...