{"title":"Impact of kernel breakage and storage conditions on mildew growth in grain piles.","authors":"Yang Zhou, Lei Han, Peng Wang, Yinuo Chen","doi":"10.1080/19440049.2025.2504116","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Grain storage is vital in today's world, however the annual grain losses due to mycotoxin contamination reach 250 million tons all over the world. During harvesting, processing and storage (damping and compression), mechanical damage to kernels inevitably creates fracture/breakage and thereafter mildew in the grain silo. One issue that the effect of breakage type and position on mildew under one dimensional (1D) loading was not fully understood up to date. In this paper, the effects of different fracture types and spatial positions on mold proliferation under compressive storage conditions were investigated. First, this study simulates the storage of grain piles under 1D load conditions using in total nine tests in three studies. The effect of breakage type and spatial position on mildew under different compression load were researched. The dry matter loss, grain temperature along with colony count were compared among different breakage type and positions of broken kernels. The results proved that as the moisture content increased, the compression of the pile was larger and the porosity was correspondingly lower, which in turn caused an increase in the temperature and the number of broken kernels. These factors were the main causes of mould in the pile. It is imperative that kernels exposed to the endosperm should be prioritized by screening if necessary, and attention should be paid to the center of the silo during ventilation, which can effectively reduce the mould in the pile. In conclusion, this study aims to understand the fungal contamination under varied kernel fractures and further help to reduce economic losses and improve the food safety after proper management.</p>","PeriodicalId":12295,"journal":{"name":"Food Additives and Contaminants Part A-chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment","volume":" ","pages":"786-797"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Food Additives and Contaminants Part A-chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2025.2504116","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/5/19 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Grain storage is vital in today's world, however the annual grain losses due to mycotoxin contamination reach 250 million tons all over the world. During harvesting, processing and storage (damping and compression), mechanical damage to kernels inevitably creates fracture/breakage and thereafter mildew in the grain silo. One issue that the effect of breakage type and position on mildew under one dimensional (1D) loading was not fully understood up to date. In this paper, the effects of different fracture types and spatial positions on mold proliferation under compressive storage conditions were investigated. First, this study simulates the storage of grain piles under 1D load conditions using in total nine tests in three studies. The effect of breakage type and spatial position on mildew under different compression load were researched. The dry matter loss, grain temperature along with colony count were compared among different breakage type and positions of broken kernels. The results proved that as the moisture content increased, the compression of the pile was larger and the porosity was correspondingly lower, which in turn caused an increase in the temperature and the number of broken kernels. These factors were the main causes of mould in the pile. It is imperative that kernels exposed to the endosperm should be prioritized by screening if necessary, and attention should be paid to the center of the silo during ventilation, which can effectively reduce the mould in the pile. In conclusion, this study aims to understand the fungal contamination under varied kernel fractures and further help to reduce economic losses and improve the food safety after proper management.
期刊介绍:
Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A publishes original research papers and critical reviews covering analytical methodology, occurrence, persistence, safety evaluation, detoxification and regulatory control of natural and man-made additives and contaminants in the food and animal feed chain. Papers are published in the areas of food additives including flavourings, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, environmental contaminants, plant toxins, mycotoxins, marine biotoxins, trace elements, migration from food packaging, food process contaminants, adulteration, authenticity and allergenicity of foods. Papers are published on animal feed where residues and contaminants can give rise to food safety concerns. Contributions cover chemistry, biochemistry and bioavailability of these substances, factors affecting levels during production, processing, packaging and storage; the development of novel foods and processes; exposure and risk assessment.