{"title":"Effect of different sub-zero temperatures and relative humidities on moisture content and germination of stored canola","authors":"Abhinav Tiwari, Fuji Jian","doi":"10.1016/j.jspr.2025.102725","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Storage of high-moisture canola remains a major challenge due to mold growth resulting in seed deterioration. While equilibrium moisture content (EMC) models have been widely applied to above-zero storage and drying conditions, no research has quantified EMC isotherm and germination under sub-zero temperatures. Isotherm and germination of canola, conditioned to 14–18 % moisture contents, were tested at temperatures from −25 to +30 °C and relative humidities (RHs) between 15 and 94 %. Multiple EMC models were evaluated for their predictive accuracy across the studied temperatures and RHs. The main factor influencing EMC of canola from −5 to −20 °C was the RH, and temperature had minimal influence. Both temperature and RH influenced the EMC when temperature was <span><math><mrow><mo>≤</mo></mrow></math></span> −20 °C. When RH was higher than 75 %, EMC of canola had an exponential increase with the increase of RH and/or decrease of temperatures. Seed germination remained high (≥80 %) at −5 to −15 °C, and RH had a minimum influence on the germination. At −20 and −25 °C and higher than 40 % RH, canola germination was reduced to less than 40 % after EMC was reached, indicating severe damage to the canola seeds. Peleg model yielded the best fit to the isotherm data at different sub-zero temperature ranges. These findings offer essential guidance for sub-zero grain storage and drying strategies, with implications for preserving seed viability and reducing post-harvest losses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17019,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Stored Products Research","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 102725"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Stored Products Research","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022474X25001845","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENTOMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Storage of high-moisture canola remains a major challenge due to mold growth resulting in seed deterioration. While equilibrium moisture content (EMC) models have been widely applied to above-zero storage and drying conditions, no research has quantified EMC isotherm and germination under sub-zero temperatures. Isotherm and germination of canola, conditioned to 14–18 % moisture contents, were tested at temperatures from −25 to +30 °C and relative humidities (RHs) between 15 and 94 %. Multiple EMC models were evaluated for their predictive accuracy across the studied temperatures and RHs. The main factor influencing EMC of canola from −5 to −20 °C was the RH, and temperature had minimal influence. Both temperature and RH influenced the EMC when temperature was −20 °C. When RH was higher than 75 %, EMC of canola had an exponential increase with the increase of RH and/or decrease of temperatures. Seed germination remained high (≥80 %) at −5 to −15 °C, and RH had a minimum influence on the germination. At −20 and −25 °C and higher than 40 % RH, canola germination was reduced to less than 40 % after EMC was reached, indicating severe damage to the canola seeds. Peleg model yielded the best fit to the isotherm data at different sub-zero temperature ranges. These findings offer essential guidance for sub-zero grain storage and drying strategies, with implications for preserving seed viability and reducing post-harvest losses.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Stored Products Research provides an international medium for the publication of both reviews and original results from laboratory and field studies on the preservation and safety of stored products, notably food stocks, covering storage-related problems from the producer through the supply chain to the consumer. Stored products are characterised by having relatively low moisture content and include raw and semi-processed foods, animal feedstuffs, and a range of other durable items, including materials such as clothing or museum artefacts.