Oats Pest Prevention

Oats, a common cereal found in many households, are prone to being invaded by various pests during both storage and transportation. These pests include the granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius), cadelle beetle (Tenebroides mauretanicus), rust-red grain beetle (Cryptolestes ferrugineus), saw-toothed grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis), European grain moth (Nemapogon granellus), and Angoumois cereal moth (Sitotroga cerealella). The presence of these pests poses a significant risk to the quality and safety of stored oats.

The damage caused by these pests, through chewing, not only compromises the integrity of the oats but also results in increased respiration in the cereal, leading to the formation of hot spots. This, combined with the pests' metabolic activity, initiates the generation of heat and moisture within the stored oats. These conditions create an ideal environment for mold growth, and excessive moisture levels can facilitate bacterial proliferation.

The consequences of insect infestation go beyond physical damage, as self-heating can occur, causing the depreciation of oats and, ultimately, complete loss. The primary breeding grounds for these pests are poorly cleaned warehouses, holds, and containers. Addressing this fundamental issue is crucial in preventing infestations and preserving the quality of stored oats.

Additionally, oats face additional threats from rodents like rats and mice, which can act as disease vectors and introduce contamination to the cereal. To mitigate these risks, thorough inspections by independent inspectors are necessary before loading oats into holds or containers. Obtaining certification that confirms the absence of pest infestations becomes a critical step in ensuring the safety and quality of the stored oats.

In conclusion, combating contamination by oats weevils involves understanding the various pests that pose a threat, addressing the root causes of infestation, and implementing rigorous inspection procedures before storage and transport. By adopting these preventive measures, we can protect oats from the harmful effects of insect damage and contamination, preserving their nutritional value and overall quality for consumption.
Oats Pest Prevention

Loss of Quality

Loss of Quality
Just as important as selecting for food quality is the prevention of the loss of quality. The most pervasive problems are probably control of staling and prevention of moisture migration.

Staling as a process is well understood and much progress has been made in understanding how to delay the staling process in wheat flours. However, cooked rice stales and becomes hard within 24 hrs of cooking; arresting the staling process would allow cooked rice of good quality and practicable shelf life to be offered.

Much remains to be understood to control staling so that it can either be stopped when it has reached as desired level or completely inhibited.

Moisture migration limits the shelf life of many products where a high moisture region is in contact with a low moisture region. The manufacturer is unable to give consumer the experience of a fresh baked product.

The pastry is designed to be hard and brittle to contrast with the moist and malleable meat content. Around the meat, a high moisture jelly is injected after baking. Within a few days, moisture migrates from the jelly into the pastry and the case becomes soft, losing flavor and texture contrast with the filling.
Loss of Quality

Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage

Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage
Certain fruits and vegetables are damaged by storage at refrigerated temperatures. These crops develop a disorder known as chilling injury. Symptoms include failure to ripen (bananas and tomatoes), development of brown sunken areas known as pitting (cucumbers, melons, and organs), increased susceptibility to decay (beans and cucumbers) and off flavor development (tomatoes). In many cases, the evidence of chilling injury does not become apparent until the susceptible item is returned to a typical room temperature.

Although the cellular mechanism for chilling injury is not clear understood, most investigators attribute it to physical changes in the membrane lipids. Prevention of chilling injury is best achieved by not storing the item at refrigerated temperatures. For example, for best quality a banana or tomato should not be stored below 12.5 degrees C, either during distribution or within the home. Such a practice, however, accelerates normal deterioration of the product. Some evidence shows of that intermittent warming or cycling the storage temperature above and below critical chilling temperature for a product will extent its shelf life.
Damages of fruits and vegetable during storage