Grain storage research: current status and future needs

Over 2.7 billion tonnes (Mt) of cereal grains, oilseeds, pulses (together referred to as grains) are produced globally and are stored at several points between production and consumption. There exists a potential for spoilage of grains during storage. Thus, grain storage research has focused on minimizing or eliminating grain spoilage during storage. This research can be grouped into four broad areas: understanding the interactions among biotic and abiotic factors; engineering solutions to manipulate the intergranular environment of stored grains; methods to control biotic factors (particularly insects) when infestation has occurred; and techniques to monitor the quality parameters of grains offline or online when grain is being handled. This paper summarizes at a high level the current status of research in these four areas and suggests what further research needs to be done to ensure high quality preserved grains are available to feed the growing world population. The paper is not meant to be a comprehensive literature review of these four areas, but rather serves to give examples of pertinent research.