Food Grains are vital and essential dietary components, which help to get many nutrients including vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbohydrates required for survival and healthy life and growth of human body. Rice, Wheat, Maize, cowpea, millets, sorghum and lentils are some of the very popular grains consumed and adopted in day-to-day life for dietary need in major part of the world. Since the cultivation periods and locations are fixed and minimum and increasing population and increased demand of grains and foods now, has raised the concern of food cultivation and preservation now than that of before. For the food to be consumed post cultivation season and make it available to urban population the storage and transport has become critical.
Huge sum of grain, legumes and seeds are lost/ destroyed by insect attack in large part of the world, estimated around 30% (Hall, 1970) of the harvest. Developing countries are having more favorable environmental condition for increase of insect and pests breeding and spread, which make them more susceptible to loss of stored grains due to insects and pests. The insects and pests, deteriorates the weights, colors, nutrition levels, even make harmful if consumed. This contamination of foods, grains and seeds are increasing the food crisis in world.
To prevent foods, grains and seeds from contamination, it’s required more than recommended sterilizing and disinfesting the food grains before storage and transportation is initiated. Most common method of sterilizing and disinfesting are chemical coating, heating and cold treatment, or combination of these treatments.
Major reason of insect or pest attack is due to water contents within the grains, hence the heating (dry heat mechanism) has become the most widely accepted by major large scale storage and transportation authorities. The heat used to remove the water contents of microbes and subsequent oxidation.
In traditional dry heat is performed in a hot air sterilizer. This achieved by circulation the hot air in the metal or glass chamber. This has been very old and suppose to be very effective method of sterilization however many times it failed to deliver the desired result, this is because all the grains not coming in contact with hot air for desired time period hence equal amount of water reduction is not achieved.
KERONE in collaboration with EMITECH (Italy) has preformed various studies in the field of application of microwave for sterilization and disinfestations process, the microwave based heating system have delivered better result in very half of the time duration. Due to source heat generation property of microwave entire foods, grains or seeds undergone for processing achieves same level of treatment.
Application of Microwave has been very environment friendly and technically advanced process for sterilization and disinfestations suitable for all type of foods, grains and seeds by doing minor change in supply parameters.
For any query please feel free to contact [email protected] or visit us at http://www.kerone.com/mw-sterilization-disinfestation-systems.php.