Cellophane packaging treated with nano silica is superior to polyethylene in reducing stored irradiated flour from Tribolium confusum infestation

Abstract Most packaged food products are attacked and penetrated by insects. Causing reducing food quality. Since, different ways are investigated for controlling stored-product pests without application of chemical methods. So, the present study included laboratory methods to evaluate the effectiveness of two packaging materials, polyethylene and cellophane with silica nano particles to prevent or minimize the insect infestation and grain wastage resulting by the attack of wheat grain by confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum . Studies made to determine the protecting capacity of the two packaging materials through assessing some parameters, number of adults infested poly ethelene and cellophane bags, percentage weight loss of grains, the results revealed that cellophane was the better packaging material than polyethelene, so polyethylene was the susceptible packaging material because it had maximum number of holes as a result penetrations by insects into them. Also, treatment the two types with packaging materials with different concentrations of nano silica protect the treated packaging materials from insect infestation and the protection increase with the increase of the concentration of silica nano particles