Abstract
Wheat still suffers from the problem of traditional storage methods, limited storage capacity, and a high percentage of losses in terms of quantity and quality. Hermetic silo bags are economical and alternative technique to the traditional storage methods. Ten horizontal plastic silos with the capacity of 200 tons/silo were tested and evaluated for eight months of wheat storage. The evaluations included grain bulk temperature, CO2 concentration, fungal and microbial count, insect count, grain moisture content, 1000-grain weight, falling number, and protein content. The results showed that the stored wheat quality was maintained without any significant difference during the storage period in terms of 1000-grain weight, grain moisture content, and falling number, while there were slight changes in protein content and kernel hardness with a decrease of 5.5% and 4.6% at the end of the storage period. There were no statistically significant differences at the sampling location along the length of the storage silos, which confirms the homogeneity of the internal conditions of the examined silo. The grain bulk temperature inside the silos was always lower than the surrounding ambient air temperature. The higher concentration of carbon dioxide inside the silos during the storage period led to a decrease in fungal and microbial count and the presence of dead insects at the end of the storage period.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum vulgare L.) is one of the most important strategic crops in the world [1]
The grain bagger model Mainero–2230 and grain cart model Cestari-10.000 LXXI were used for charging the grain into the silo bags, and the grain extractor model EA-910 Richiger was used for grain discharging at the end of storage period
The results showed that carbon dioxide levels ranged from 5.39 to 7.27% during the storage period
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum vulgare L.) is one of the most important strategic crops in the world [1]. The total wheat postharvest losses approached 4.32% while storage losses reached the maximum of (41.7% of the total) among all postharvest operations [4, 5]. Qualitative losses such as insect or heat damaged kernels, insectinfested, and microbial contaminated grains unfit for consumption or sale. Developing new tools to reduce the amount of grain losses after harvest, especially at the storage stage, is an important strategy to fight hunger and poverty and increase global food and nutrition security
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