Storage: Primary Aims of Storage
Storage: Primary Aims of Storage
Storage: Primary Aims of Storage
STORING PADDY
ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGES
1. Protected with husk – less 2. Bulky than milled rice hence require bigger
susceptible to attack of storage facility
insects and other 3. Living matter respire and produce heat
microorganisms hence can and moisture
be stored longer
GENERAL RULE:
To mill as much paddy as possible that could be kept safely in storage as milled rice
Desirable product:
Carbon Dioxide (slows down respiration process)
Undesirable products:
Water and Heat
Water – accelerate respiration process and provide favorable condition for growth of
microorganisms
Heat – cause heat damage kernels
Heat and water will result to:
1. Low quality milled rice
2. Large dry matter loss
3. Heat damaged kernel
Table 1. Daily generation of CO2, H2O, heat and dry matter loss of 1000 tons of paddy at
different MC
• The amount of carbon dioxide is usually measured as indicator of the rate of respiration
process.
• At 20% MC, approximately eight (8) cavans of rice are lost everyday from 1000 tons
(20,000 cavans) of rice.
2. Storage Structure
Primary function: to protect the product from unfavorable environment and storage pest
Both the generated water and heat of respiration can be removed either by a natural process called
ventilation or by forced introduction of small amount of air called aeration.
a. Warehouse
• Flat and long building with several sidedoors and roof ventilators, grains in sacks are piled
up on the floor up to the eaves of the roof
• Materials of construction are usually concrete flooring, G.I. roofing and either concrete
hollow block or G.I. walling
• Most prevalent in the Philippines
b. Flat store
• Same as the warehouse but the grains are stored in bulk rather than in sacks
• Aeration facilities are usually made as part of the storage system
Source: IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank
d. Steel/Concrete Silos
• Slender and tall structure for bulk storage of grains with individual roods, aeration,
fumigations and conveyor facilities are integral parts of the storage systems
Proper Design of Storage Structure
3. Environmental Factors
• The product inside the storage structure reacts with the environment hence it is sensitive to
relative humidity (RH) of the air
• In hot humid climate (tropical countries) grain storage is not susceptible. The average RH - 80%.
The required RH of the storage to maintain 14% MC is about 70%.
• Wet paddy is susceptible to insects and molds attack producing damaged milled rice.
• Heat of respiration – very conducive to growth of some species of insect pests and molds.
• Hence more heat is produced leading to heat damaged kernels/discolored grains in the milled
rice
4. Storage Pests
The most common storage pests are:
a. Insects
b. Fungi or molds
c. Rodents
d. Birds
Sanitation
– the most important and effective preventive measure in storage
- solves 50% of the problem in storage
5. Personnel Requirements
• The successful consideration, understanding and attention of the aspect of product
characteristics, storage structure, environmental factors and storage pests are all dependent
upon the personnel involved
Role of Personnel
a. Take care of storage operation
b. Provide maintenance and repair of the storage structure
c. Prevent pest infestation
d. Modify the environment
e. Look after the safe condition of the stored product
Category of Staff
a. Engineers – to take care of the aspects and the problems of storage structure and the
environmental factors
b. Entomologists – to take charge of the biological aspects of product and pest
c. Technicians – to carry out the dirty jobs of operation maintenance and repairs
d. Managers – to orchestrate the various functions and operations and to liaise with the
top management
STORAGE IN COMMERCIAL-LEVEL POSTHARVEST SYSTEM