Resfriamento artificial na conservação da qualidade comercial de grãos de milho armazenados

Resumo

Artificial cooling is a tool used in the conservation of grain quality in tropical regions. In this study, we aimed to verify the effect of artificial cooling through aeration in preserving the quality of corn grains in bottom horizontal “V” warehouses. Two septa were used in the experiment: an artificially cooled (12°C) septum with capacity of 28 thousand tons and a naturally aerated septum with capacity of 29 thousand tons. Sampling was carried out in both septa during loading, at 60 and 120 days after the first stage of cooling, and during expedition. During storage, sampling was performed considering the position and depth of the corn mass. A qualitative assessment was conducted to determine the following parameters: weight of thousand grains, grain mass temperature, oil content and acidity, identification of fungi, aflatoxin content, insect infestation rate, and percentage of infested grain. Artificial cooling temperature promoted a decrease in grain mass, regardless of the external conditions of air temperature and humidity. Artificial aeration, with cold air, preserved the parameters assigned to grain quality and provided reduced percentage of infested grain and reduced population of insect pests in the product mass. Therefore, the use of artificial cooling in the storage of maize grains in tropical regions is effective in maintaining grain quality and managing insects and pathogens.

Descrição

Palavras-chave

Armazenamento, Insecta, Refrigeração, Zea mays., Cooling, Insecta, Storage, Zea mays.

Citação

QUIRINO, José Ronaldo; MELO, Aniela Pilar Campos de; VELOSO, Valquíria da Rocha Santos; ALBERNAZ, Karina Cordeiro; PEREIRA, Jaqueline Magalhães. Resfriamento artificial na conservação da qualidade comercial de grãos de milho armazenados. Bragantia, São Paulo, v. 72, n. 4, p. 578-586, 2013.