Sprouting or pre-harvest germination is caused by damp or rainy weather conditions during the final stage of maturation of the new crop. The germination causes an accelerated production of the starch degrading enzyme alpha-amylase. Severely sprouted grain kernels can contain several thousand times the amount of enzyme of sound unsprouted kernels. Because of this, very low levels of severely sprouted kernels mixed into sound wheat can cause the entire lot to exhibit significant amylase activity.