Harvesting Campaign Research Articles

"Okay, I respect this publicity stunt." A snapshot of public perceptions of an online game-based blood donation campaign.

With a decrease in young and first-time donors, applying gaming elements to blood donation may provide a novel means of encouraging young donors. In August 2023, the online game DiabloIV launched the Blood Harvest in which players were encouraged to donate blood products in the United States to receive virtual in-game rewards. Given the novelty of this independent initiative, our aim was to capture Diablov IV players opinions of the Blood Harvest through thematically analyzing their online discourse related to this blood donation campaign. We captured publicly available Twitter/X posts (n = 78) and engagement (n = 390) relevant to the Blood Harvest posted during and immediately after the campaign (October 13, 2023-November 27, 2023). Using thematic analysis, we identified 5 themes relating to the Blood Harvest campaign: (1) Positive perceptions and community motivations to donate, (2) Negative perceptions of the initiative and online game, (3) Players' inability to donate and participate in the initiative, (4) Incentives and incentive comparisons, and (5) Benefiting from positive associations focusing on the reputational gain that may be accessed through promoting blood donation. Situating a donation campaign in an established video game provides a novel opportunity to engage young donors. Through capturing public data, we provide a unique snapshot of how an online gaming community perceives and reacts to an independently initiated game-integrated blood donation campaign. This highlights key strengths of the approach as well as identifying potential risks for blood collection agencies.

Cleaning system, batch sorting and traceability between field-industry in the mechanical harvesting of table olives

In the table olive sector, there is no cleaning and fruit sorting by quality in the field of the harvested olive batches, nor is there an exhaustive recording of traceability. As a result, the batches are stored and shipped dry, dirty and with fruit of different qualities. When they arrive at the industry, they are cleaned and sorted according to their quality, maturity index and size into fruit suitable for green or black processing and unsuitable for olive oil processing. Overall, all fruits are mixed regardless of their origin leading to loss or interruption of traceability, so that there are also inefficiencies in the logistical process. To offer a possible solution, this paper proposes a methodology and presents a prototype that enables cleaning and sorting based on quality at the field level, incorporating a liquid transport system to stop or reduce bruising and an application for recording traceability throughout the production cycle. This prototype has been tested in the laboratory with artificial olives to study the sorting algorithm and, subsequently, in field conditions in a harvesting campaign with real fruit. The algorithm reported a mean relative error of 9.02 ± 6.66%, 11.63 ± 9.61% and 10.31 ± 8.85% in the test with 3 predefined sizes and 3 different ripening stages evaluated. In the evaluation test of the fruit bruising with 2% and 10% of controlled damage, results of 2.67 ± 1.74% and 10.09 ± 4.55% respectively were obtained. In the field, the grading machine for small size olives removed 98% of small diameter fruit and the cleaning system worked efficiently. The percentage of correct sorting based on the maturity index reported 89.3% for 'A' or suitable quality and 76.7% for 'B' or unsuitable quality. The fruit bruising sorting reported acceptable results influenced by the randomness in the bruising and its positioning with respect to the artificial vision system. The application recorded the previous operations, the batches generated and their characteristics as well as transport to the industry with its associated variables. The methodology and prototype developed may represent an advance in the management of the quality and traceability of table olives from the field level, making the logistics function more efficient and supporting the industry.

Mechanization Status, its Technical Indicators and Impact on the Wheat Crop Production in Iraq

Abstract Increase of the number of tractors and harvesters working in agriculture improves significantly the number of agricultural land operations, harvest efficiency and eliminates primitive farming methods. The production expansion is either horizontal through exploitation and reclamation of more areas or vertical such as introduction of technological variables in the same unit area. The current study aims to investigate the gap of the ratio of the number of tractors and harvesters to the agricultural area, its technical indicators and its impact on the wheat crop production. Data were obtained from agricultural departments and divisions of the Salah al-Din Agriculture Directorate to calculate some of the indicators of the technological and technical evaluation. Tables were prepared with the numbers of tractors and agricultural harvesters that cover the cultivation and harvest campaign. Their horsepower was proven and then converted to the kilowatt unit, as well as the agricultural areas within the agricultural plan that is implemented by the Directorate for four seasons. The surplus power of agricultural tractors contributed to the increase in the executed agricultural areas and requirements of agricultural operations such as tillage, harrows, and leveling contrary to agricultural harvesters, in which case there was a gap in the decrease of the number of agricultural combines in relation to the implemented agricultural plan, which, as a result, may cause a loss in wheat crop harvesting on the specified date. The mechanical harvest contributed to the increase in the grain received from the wheat by the grain trading company in the province, which brings economic returns to the farmer.

Integrated harvesting and biomass haulage of olive tree prunings. Evaluation of a two year harvesting campaign in central Greece and fuel characterization of the prunings collected

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the most intensive demonstration of harvesting of olive tree prunings (OTP) ever occurred in Greece. In Agios Konstantinos, an integrated shredder was used to harvest the local olive groves. The harvesting campaign was performed for two consecutive years. In total, for both years, the harvesting campaign lasted for 20 days where around 81 ha of olive groves were harvested, that amounted to 252 dry Mg of harvested prunings. The aim of the paper is to evaluate an agricultural residue mobilization value chain in terms of performance, economics and fuel analyses of the harvested OTP. Via detailed monitoring, the present paper compares the harvesting demonstration results for both years. In brief, the average material capacity increased from 2.2 dry Mg/h (first year) to 2.4 dry Mg/h (second year), whereas the corresponding harvesting and haulage costs of these harvesting campaigns were calculated at 62.3 €/Mg (dry basis) and 63.7 €/Mg (dry basis), with an estimated commercial operation cost at 46.0 €/Mg (dry basis). Finally, from 49 samples of OTP collected, the average moisture content was at 27.5% (as received), ash content at 4.5% (dry basis) and the average LHV at 12.2 MJ/kg (as received).

Uncertainty appraisal provides useful information for the management of a manual grape harvest

This contribution presents a novel approach to characterise uncertainty in the manual grape harvest of a winery in Tuscany (Italy). After identifying the potential sources of variability arising from randomness, weather, and management options, a model to define useful output variables is built. These output variables include the discrepancy in the harvest date of the vineyards ( harvest date discrepancy) , the discrepancy in the required workforce across harvest dates (labour discrepancy), and, finally, the potential deficit of working hours throughout the grape harvest campaign (labour deficit) . The range spanned by these variables is first assessed through a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis wherein the model is repeated approximately 16,000 times with variable combinations of the input parameters per their probability distribution. The assessed uncertainty is then apportioned to the input parameters through a global sensitivity analysis. In turn, a regional sensitivity analysis characterises the circumstances producing a deficit of working hours, which corresponds to sufferance in the grape harvest campaign. The discussed approach could be implemented in a user-friendly decision-support tool for risk characterisation and efficient grape harvest management. • We developed a model to define sensitive variables in manual grape harvest. • We characterise their uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulations. • Output uncertainty was apportioned onto inputs with a global sensitivity analysis. • Criticalities were identified and analysed through regional sensitivity analysis. • The approach proposed could support decision making in grape harvest management.

The main trends of digitalization in agriculture

Digitalization processes are currently being increasingly introduced into various sectors of the national economy, including the agricultural sector. Agriculture has traditionally been a costly industry and has always had large losses throughout the entire production process, which led to a decrease in production efficiency. Digitalization in agriculture is designed to solve the vast majority of these problems and significantly increase the profitability of the industry. Digitalization helps to cover the whole range of actions, automate processes, cover the fullness of information, bring it into a single system, process it promptly, clearly monitor all processes, significantly reduce the loss of resources of all kinds, completely eliminate the corruption component. Digitalization makes it possible to constantly monitor any process in crop production, animal husbandry, processing, logistics and prevent the development of some negative phenomena. Field monitoring involves monitoring the qualitative characteristics of soils and crops, crop rotation management, recommendations for crop rotation planning, helps to trace the entire cycle of work from planting to harvesting, including logistics. Since there are large losses of agricultural products in the process of moving products, it seems appropriate to use digital technologies in logistics, which should significantly increase production efficiency. Control of finished products involves accounting for the harvest (from field to weight), monitoring the progress of the harvesting campaign, the amount of harvest for each field separately, the production of each employee, accounting for the work of carriers.

Materials on the issue of ergot poisoning

Everyone knows the black horns that often appear on the ears of rye, instead of grains, which represent the sclerotia of the parasitic fungus Claviceps purpurea. Abundant rains during the period of grain ripening, as well as hailstorms, contribute to a more abundant infection of rye and, to a lesser extent, other grain crops with the aforementioned ergot horns. All these conditions were extremely bright and intense in the Novo-Georgievsk region, where we traced the epidemic of ergotism that arose there. By the beginning of the harvesting campaign, there were no instructions from agronomists about the contamination of grain with ergot horns. On July 21 (32), the harvesting of a new crop began, and on July 25, we already faced the fact of a massive ergotism disease. The symptomatology of the disease was as follows: severe weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, slight flatulence and slight coldness of the arms and legs. But all these poisonings were relatively mild, outpatient.

The Impact of Seasonality of Agricultural Production on Product Prices in Romania

"This paper aims to determine the possible impact of the seasonality of agricultural production on the prices of these products. Three main products were analysed, the majority of which are wheat, maize and sunflower production. With the help of national databases, product prices were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively, as well as statistically, over the last 5 years by calendar month. A series of researches have been carried out on the data, such as: analysing the dynamics of both annual and monthly prices, as well as determining the correlations between the price level for these products and the calendar month to which these prices refer. Following this analysis, the third-degree polynomial regression equations were determined, showing that product prices follow a sinuous trend, with high prices in the first part of the year, when supply is running out, then, during the harvesting period, there is a drop in price, given the sudden increase in supply on the market, and in the last months of the calendar year, the highest prices are recorded, given the additional cost of storing production following the harvesting campaign. "

To the harvesting company 1932

The attention of the entire Soviet Union is riveted to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of July 5 on the harvesting campaign of 1932. The editorial board of the Kazan Medical Journal considers it necessary to draw the attention of its readers to the whole range of issues of great economic and political importance, set out in this document.

Інтелектуальна система керування процесами моніторингу, збирання та переробки біомаси для отримання біометану і високоякісних добрив

The article discusses methodological issues and an approach to the construction and organization of the functioning of an intelligent control system for monitoring processes, collection and processing of biomass in biogas plants. Using the proposed system, the following tasks are solved: monitoring of biomass based on the use of space and unmanned aerial vehicles, planning harvesting operations and synthesis of routes for unmanned harvesters, managing biomass processing modes in biogas complexes. With the help of spacecraft sensors and special software, biomass volumes are determined to predict the level of loading of biogas plants with plant raw materials. In addition, at this stage, the projected economic indicators of the harvesting campaign and the profit that the agricultural company will receive from the sale of biomethane and high-quality fertilizers are determined. At the second stage, before the start of the collection of biomass, using the sensors of unmanned aerial vehicles and special software, the volumes and density of biomass in each section of the field are specified, as well as the coordinates of passive (stationary interference) in order to synthesize compromise-optimal trajectories and the speed of movement of unmanned harvesters. At the third stage, biomass is pelleted for further storage and conversion into biomethane.

Вторая мировая война в зарубежной музыке. К 75-летию Победы

Everybody is well familiar with the musical chronicles of World War II created by Soviet composers, which are exclusively significant in their artistic merits. But usually our perceptions of what was written in the 1940s by composers outside of Russia are not so concise. The list of such works is significantly high and, just like in Russian music, the most important positions were held by the genre of the symphony: Arthur Honegger’s Second Symphony, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony, Roy Harris’ Fifth Symphony, Bohuslav Martinu’s Third Symphony, as well as programmatic works in the genre – Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s “Tragic Symphony,” Josef Stanislaw’s “Red Army Symphony,” Max Rubin’s “War and Peace Symphony,” Henri Sauguet’s “Expiatory Symphony,” Arthur Honegger’s “Liturgical Symphony,” etc. Musical compositions in various choral and vocal-symphonic genres were broadly represented: Luigi Dallapiccola’s “Canti di prigionia,” Darius Milhaud’s “Cantate de la guerre,” Goffredo Petrassi’s cantata “Coro di morte,” Vít Nejedlý’s cantata “Tobě Rudá Armádo,” Ernst Krenek’s “Cantata for Wartime,” Francis Poulenc’s “Figure Humaine,” Alfredo Casella’s “Missa Solemnis ‘Pro Pace’,” Paul Hindemith’s “Requiem ‘For Those We Love,’” Arnold Schoenberg’s “A Survivor from Warsaw,” etc. This multitude of mentioned and unmentioned compositions must be joined by two outstanding musical scores created by our compatriots who lived at that time in the USA: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances” and Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony in Three Movements.” The first of them was being created when the world was just immersing into the abysm of the catastrophe – particularly this poignantly topical situation determined the directedness of Rachmaninoff’s conception, which may be defined by the paradigmatic phrase “war and peace.” Stravinsky’s symphony was written at the end of World War II, when the wartime harvesting campaign had to a certain extent already become the habitual destiny for the planet, so the composer brings out to the forefront the idea that “war is work,” or, in other words, “a la guerre comme a la guerre.” Keywords: World War II, its chronicles in the music of composers outside of Russia, Rachmaninoff's “Symphonic Dances,” Stravinsky’s “Symphony in Three Movements.”

How Well Do Three Tree Species Adapt to the Urban Environment in Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area of China Regarding Their Growth Patterns and Ecosystem Services?

It is predicted that global change combined with urbanization will impact increasingly on the society and terrestrial ecosystem in the Guangdong-Hongkong-Macao Greater Bay Area of China (GBA). In this context, the cities in GBA began to plant a variety of urban trees since 2000 which are considered to play an important role in fixing carbon, improving air quality, reducing noise and providing other ecosystem services. However, data on the growth patterns and ecosystem services of the planted trees remains scarce, which hampers a comprehensive understanding of how well the planted trees adapt to the local urban environment. Therefore, we selected three widely planted tree species in Foshan, one of the core cities in GBA and investigated their tree growth and ecosystem services via a harvest campaign and soil analysis. With the same, fast tree growth as natural forests and the greatest above- and below-ground biomass among the three tree species, Ml (Mytilaria laosensis Lec.) showed a distinguished adaption to the local urban environment in terms of growth patterns, carbon fixation, stabilization against typhoon risk and water uptake capacity against potential drought risk in the future. Although Cf (Chinese fir) showed reduced diameter at breast height (DBH) and volume development, it significantly increased the total and available potassium in soils to improve the soil quality. The DBH growth of Sp (Slash pine) decreased between six and 12 years old while it recovered at the age of 12 years, probably suggesting its adaptation might take a longer time. Our results indicated that different trees had different growth patterns and ecosystem services after they were planted in cities. In a harsh urban environment under climate change, precise and comprehensive data on urban trees is necessary, helping to provide different perspectives for urban managers to select appropriate tree species and make policies.

Harvest chronological planning using a method based on satellite-derived vegetation indices and artificial neural networks

Aim of study: Wheat appropriate harvest date (WAHD) is an important factor in farm monitoring and harvest campaign schedule. Satellite remote sensing provides the possibility of continuous monitoring of large areas. In this study, we aimed to investigate the strength of vegetation indices (VIs) derived from Landsat-8 for generating the harvest schedule regional (HSR) map using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a robust prediction tool in the agriculture sector.Area of study: Qorveh plain, Iran.Material and methods: During 2015 and 2016, a total of 100 plots was selected. WAHD was determined by sampling of plots and specifying wheat maximum yield for each plot. The strength of eight Landsat-8 derived spectral VIs (NDVI, SAVI, GreenNDVI, NDWI, EVI, EVI2, CVI and CIgreen) was investigated during wheat growth stages using correlation coefficients between these VIs and observed WAHD. The derived VIs from the required images were used as inputs of ANNs and WAHD was considered as output. Several ANN models were designed by combining various VIs data.Main results: The temporal stage in agreement with dough development stage had the highest correlation with WAHD. The optimum model for predicting WAHD was a Multi-Layer Perceptron model including one hidden layer with ten neurons in it when the inputs were NDVI, NDWI, and EVI2. To evaluate the difference between measured and predicted values of ANNs, MAE, RMSE, and R2 were calculated. For the 3-10-1 topology, the value of R2 was estimated 0.925. A HSR map was generated with RMSE of 0.86 days.Research highlights: Integrated satellite-derived VIs and ANNs is a novel and remarkable methodology to predict WAHD, optimize harvest campaign scheduling and farm management.

Filtration of stored thick juice for the syrup campaign

Extraction of sucrose from sugarbeet for sugar production on an industrial scale can be divided into two distinct types of operations: beet processing (operation of the entire factory) and syrup processing (operation of the sugar house only). During the beet harvesting campaign thick juice is stored in large tanks for subsequent processing in the syrup campaign. It is good practice to filter the thick juice prior to storage for removal of microbes and insolubles. More importantly is filtration of the thick juice during the thick juice campaign for food safety and to remove any solids that have precipitated during storage for sugar quality. This is normally done using a filter aid to ensure filtration to below 5 µm is achieved. The use of a filter aid is not ideal due to health concerns and the risk of causing sugar quality issues if filter aid is carried forward with the syrup. A filtration system designed to operate without the use of a filter aid was therefore trialed at one of the Tereos factories in France. Standard liquor from storage tanks were filtered through 14–25 µm filter material during the 2018 thick juice campaign. Operational and sugar quality results are discussed.

A spatio-semantic approach to reasoning about agricultural processes

Digitization of agricultural processes is advancing fast as telemetry data from the involved machines becomes more and more available. Current approaches commonly have a machine-centric view that does not account for machine-machine or machine-environment relations. In this paper we demonstrate how to model such relations in the generic semantic mapping framework SEMAP. We describe how SEMAP’s core ontology is extended to represent knowledge about the involved machines and facilities in a typical agricultural domain. In the framework we combine different information layers – semantically annotated spatial data, semantic background knowledge and incoming sensor data – to derive qualitative spatial facts and continuously track them to generate process states and events about the ongoing logistic process of a harvesting campaign, which adds to an increased process understanding.

BEETSOIL: a decision support tool for forecasting the impact of soil conditions on sugar beet harvest

Sugar beet in the UK is harvested in autumn and winter, when soil moisture is usually close to field capacity. This, together with the heavy machinery used can lead to serious environmental problems such as topsoil disturbance, subsoil compaction and soil erosion. BEETSOIL is a decision support tool (DST) developed to help plan the sugar beet harvest campaign by assessing if soil conditions are suitable for harvest whilst minimising the occurrence of soil damage. The core of BEETSOIL is a soil water balance model that, using a rainfall source selected by the user, predicts soil water content in a determined prediction window. The resulting soil water content is used to predict soil trafficability, wheel sinkage, soil stickiness and soil loss due to harvest on a daily basis. The soil water balance module was validated with measured soil water content at three field sites with contrasting clayey, silty and sandy textures and showed RMSE of 0.91%, 0.96% and 0.52%, respectively. The sensitivity of the trafficability modules of BEETSOIL were tested using several scenarios using different initial soil water contents at the start of the harvest campaign combined with rainfall amounts that simulate wet, median and dry conditions during the harvest period. Analysis of the scenarios showed the trafficability module was very sensitive to changes in texture, initial soil water content of the simulation and rainfall. This information can be used to assess the suitability of new sugar beet growing areas, where the proportion of time during which fields can be trafficked by vehicles (harvested effectively) can be predicted under different scenarios and therefore give an indication of any consistent harvest difficulties. The model outputs of sinkage, trafficability and soil loss by harvest have yet to be validated, but the first outputs provide indications of how the DST can be used across the whole growing area to schedule harvest operations to target areas that can be harvested most effectively.

Daily exposure to hand arm vibration by different electric olive beaters

The electric hand held olive harvesters have a low weight (about 2 kg) and cause the fruit pick up by means of impacts produced by their vibrational tools: for this reason they transmit elevated vibration doses to the operator’s hand arm system during the work. In this paper electric beaters of different manufacturers and different models were considered, to analyse their vibrational behaviour in field, during the olive harvesting campaign in a site located in Northern Italy. One operator did the tests, to avoid the operator’s uncertainty on the obtained results. All the five examined beaters gave high acceleration values (in a range from 10 to 26 ms<sup>–2</sup>), but the most restricting data were the daily vibration exposures, calculated considering the real working duration time acquired in field, almost ranged between 10 and 18 ms<sup>–2</sup>. Also the operator posture during the work (with the arms over the shoulders) may set health problems, related to upper limb disorders, other than the already known musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular pathologies.

Ethnobotany, Availability, and Use of Lianas by the Kaingang People in Suburban Forests in Southern Brazil

Ethnobotany, Availability, and Use of Lianas by the Kaingang People in Suburban Forests in Southern Brazil. Lianas are important components of tropical forests and also non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In this study we 1) record the species of lianas exploited by indigenous Kaingang people and their availability in the remnant forest patches around the city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, 2) describe the harvesting and crafting techniques, and 3) estimate the amount of lianas sold as handicrafts in the main local market and the income obtained. Lianas are exploited exclusively for the handicrafts trade. Seven liana species, out of 31 found in forest remnants, are used by Kaingangs. Two of them account for 90% of all handicrafts sold and 40.5% of all liana stems in secondary growth remnants—Forsteronia glabrescens Mull.Arg. and Amphilophium paniculatum (L.) Kunth. Another three species are scarce and are exploited less. Raw material must be used within a few weeks and be continuously harvested. Kaingang harvesting strategy includes mechanisms to avoid overexploitation: the division of exploitation areas into plots that are left to rest for one year before a new harvesting campaign, and the family’s control of information about potential harvesting sites. The entire process, from collection to sale, is carried out by the Kaingang families without intermediaries, contrary to the most common pattern of NTFP market chains. Trading occurs only locally. Each family earns from USD 98.15 to USD 371.12 per month (30% to 115% of the minimum Brazilian salary). In one year each family consumed on average 10,328.40 meters of lianas in the manufacture of handicrafts for sale in the major fair in the city, which represents about 50% of the demand for lianas. We estimated that one hectare of unexploited forest can have on average a standing crop of 10,165.40 m of the most desired species. Market pressure regulates exploitation, a common pattern in NTFP use, but in this case leading to a mix of usually opposite trends—manufacture with increasingly sophisticated techniques, but using a few liana species and an increasing number of alternative materials.

The effect of temperature, water input and length of growing season on sugar beet yield in five locations in Greece

SUMMARYFrom 1999 to 2006, 36 field experiments were conducted in five sugar beet growing areas in Greece (Larissa, Plati, Serres, Xanthi and Orestiada) to monitor yield. Locations differed significantly regarding thermal variables during the growing season with Xanthi having the most favourable thermal conditions (Tmax, average daily maximum temperature;Tmean, average daily mean temperature; GDD, growing degree days) for sugar beet growth. From early June to the end of the harvesting campaign, successive harvests were conducted. Over the years, fresh root weight and sugar yield at the last harvest of the season (FRWLH, SYLH) did not differ significantly among locations. Also, there were no significant differences among locations regarding GDD for maximum FRW and SY (GDDMFRW, GDDMSY), with the means over location estimated at 2639·9 and 2792·5 °C, respectively. Days after seeding (DAS) necessary for maximum yield (DASMFRW, DASMSY, respectively) differed among locations, with the longest period (DASMFRW206·4 days, DASMSY: 204·5 days) occurring in the northernmost location (Orestiada). Means for DASMFRWand DASMSYat the five locations were estimated at 190·4 and 188·9·days, respectively. Excluding Xanthi and combining the remaining locations, FRWLHand SYLHwere negatively correlated with the average temperatures (Tmean,TmaxandTmin, daily minimum temperature) over the growing season. The opposite was evident for Xanthi where sugar beet was grown under sub-optimal temperatures. The optimum meanTmaxof the five locations was estimated at 25·5 and 25·1 °C for FRWLHand SYLH, respectively. Elongation of the growing season, by means of early sowing, would increase yield by decreasing average temperatures (Tmean,Tmax) over the growing season in locations with the highest recorded temperatures (Larissa, Plati, Serres and Orestiada). In Xanthi, the projected temperature increase, as a result of climate change, is expected to have a positive effect on yields.

Natural occurrence of fumonisins in corn puff in Argentina

Maize presents a substantial contamination by fumonisins (FB) throughout the world. In particular, Argentina presents a high frequency of positive samples and levels of up to 10,000μg/kg of total FB, depending on the harvest campaign studied. Corn puff, an extruded product of high consumption among children and adolescent populations, was analyzed with the aim of determining the presence and levels of fumonisins B1, B2 and B3. In the present study, 20 samples of different brands were collected from commercial stores. Two solvent systems, two types of agitation, and the number of extractions were tested in order to find the most suitable method to establish the level of fumonisins in corn puff. Extracts were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. A C18 column and precolumn derivatization with orthophtalaldialdehyde were utilized. The average of fumonisins found in 20 samples was 257.5μg/kg (n = 19), 70.4μg/kg (n = 14) and 73.3μg/kg (n = 6) for FB1, FB2 and FB3, on positive samples, respectively. These are the first analyses in Argentina of this type of product, highlighting the need to continue the studies in the processing industries because, despite the extrusion process that the raw material suffers, a sample was found with a contamination of 1,649μg/kg total fumonisins.