Abstract:
In Ethiopia information on post-harvest storage of wheat grain is not well documented. Hermetic storage methods and the effect of their opening times are being promoted but people did not understand the influence of time the hermetic containers should be first opened. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hermetic storage methods and their opening time on the performance of stored wheat with full factorial design with triplication. The experiment consisted of six storage methods namely metal silos, Purdue Improved Grain Storage bag, Super GrainPro bag, Plastic drum, Triplex applied to wheat in Plastic drum, and polypropylene bag as control. Three opening times namely two, four and six months were evaluated. Percentage of grain damage, weight loss percentage, thousand kernel weight, bulk density, live insect counts, dead insect counts, moisture content, water activity, protein, starch, wet gluten, Zeleny, and mould colony-forming unit were determined after one year of storage. The ANOVA was determined by factorial using r software. Results indicated that storage methods such as PICS, Super GrainPro bags, Triplex applied to drum plastic, and plastic drums led to a significantly (P<0.05) lower levels of insect infestation, moisture content, water activity and mould growth compared to the control and the metal silo. Moisture content and water activity were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the metal silo compared to other hermetic storage methods and the control. The percentage of weight loss and percentage of grain damage were significantly lower in hermetic storage containers compared to the control. The present study showed that opening time had a significant effect only on thousand kernel weight, water activity, wet gluten and mould growth of wheat grain properties. Interaction effects made only on thousand kernel weight due to storage methods and opening times.