Agricultural engineering in development

Post-harvest operations and management of foodgrains

Table of Contents

by M. de Lucia and D. Assennato FAO consultants

FAO AGRICULTURAL SERVICES BULLETIN No. 93

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion what so ever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-17
ISBN 92-5-103108-8

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

(c) FAO 1994

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Grain and post-harvest systems

Definition
Cereals
Grain legumes
Oilseeds

Post-harvest losses

Definition
Post-harvest system and losses
Losses in weight
Losses in quality
Economic losses

The harvest

Definition
Physiological maturity
Harvest operations

Pre-drying

Definition
Pre-drying operations

Threshing and shelling

Definition
Threshing or shelling operations

Drying

Definition
Moisture content
Relative humidity
Air-grain equilibrium
Drying process
Natural drying
Artificial drying
Other drying methods

Storage

Definition
Influences of environmental factors
Agents causing deterioration of stored grain
Storage methods

Monitoring grain

Definition
Weighing
Sampling
Determining the percentage of impurities
Measuring moisture content
Temperature control

Grain cleaning and insecticide treatments

Definition
Cleaning
Insecticide treatments

Storage in bags

Definition
Outdoor storage
Warehouses and storehouses
Equipment
Bag-storage management

Bulk storage

Definition
Low-capacity silos for farm storage
High-capacity silos
Equipping bulk-storage centres
Bulk storage management

Preparation for sale

Definition
Sales and product quality
Quality standards
Grain packaging

Transport

Definition
Traditional transport
Road transport
Other means of transport

Appendixes

Bibliography