Assessing Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags to mitigate fungal growth and aflatoxin contamination |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;2. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;1. Faculdade de Agronomia e Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Maputo, Mozambique;2. International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – Delegation in Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique;3. Centro BioTrop, Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical (IICT), Lisbon, Portugal;1. International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya;2. Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya;3. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;1. Soil Science & Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zimbabwe, Box MP 167 Harare, Zimbabwe;2. Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK;1. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;2. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique du Niger (INRAN), BP 240 Maradi, Niger;1. ACDI-VOCA, USA;2. School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA;3. Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Prosser, WA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Storing maize in regions of the world without sufficient drying and storage capacity is challenging due to the potential risk of aflatoxin contamination produced by Aspergillus flavus. This study sought to determine if storage of maize in Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags prevents mold growth and aflatoxin accumulation. PICS bags are a three-layer, hermitic bag-system that forms a barrier against the influx of oxygen and the escape of carbon dioxide. Maize conditioned at 12, 15, 18, and 21% grain moisture was inoculated with 50 g of maize kernels infected with fluorescent-marked strain of A. flavus. The grain was stored in either PICS or woven bags at 26 °C, and percent oxygen/carbon dioxide levels, fungal growth, aflatoxin, moisture content, and kernel germination were assessed after 1 and 2 months incubation. Maize stored in woven bags was found to equilibrate with the ambient moisture environment over both storage periods, while PICS bags retained their original moisture levels. Aspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin accumulation were not observed in maize stored in any PICS bags. No aflatoxin B1 was detected in woven bags containing low-moisture maize (12 and 15%), but detectable levels of aflatoxin were observed in high moisture maize (18 and 21%). The percentage of oxygen and carbon dioxide within PICS bags were dependent on initial grain moisture. Higher carbon dioxide levels were observed in the bags stored for 1 month than for 2 months. High initial moisture and carbon dioxide levels correlated with low kernel germination, with the 18 and 21% treatment groups having no seeds germinate. The results of the study demonstrate that storage of maize in PICS bags is a viable management tool for preventing aflatoxin accumulation in storage. |
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| Keywords: | Mycotoxins Maize storage Mold growth PICS bags |
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