Storage of mungbean in hermetic PVC tank

Vortrag

Abstract

This research was carried out to evaluate the effect of hermetic storage on quality of mungbean. About 260 kg of mungbean samples were stored in an especially design 350 L capacity hermetic PVC tanks (hermetic tank) and non-hermetic PVC tanks (control tank). Hermetic PVC tanks were closed air-tightly. All tanks were randomly placed in a warehouse. Each hermetic and control PVC tanks were artificially infested by 50 unsexed Callosobruchus chinensis kept in 4 glass jars containing 100 g of mungbean and jars were dipped in four different depths. The gas concentrations in the tanks were monitored up to 6 months intervals. Percentages of germination, moisture content, and grain damage were evaluated at the end of the storage. The oxygen content of hermetic samples was dropped to 11±1.2% and carbon dioxide content was increased up to 7±0.7% within 6 months of storage. Live insects of C. chinensis were not found in hermetic samples after 6 months but abundant population of C. chinensis was found in the control PVC tank just after one month. After 6 months, germination percentage of the mungbean samples stored in hermetic tanks had decreased from 95±3% to 82±4%, whereas it was decreased from 95±3% to 47±7% in control tanks due to grain damage. Percent grain damage of the hermetic sample was only 4.5±1% compared to the heavy insect damage of the control samples. Moisture content of hermetic samples remained unchanged compare to the control.