FT 484 -FOOD STORAGE ENGINNERING

(Global Elective)

Prepared by,

MUHAMMED SHABEEB V
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering,
MEA Engineering College
Mob: 9447743119
shabeeb@meaec.edu.in
Storage: Is the act of safekeeping of the quantity and quality of an agricultural material so as to
prevent them from deterioration for a specific period of time beyond their normal shelf life.

Agricultural storage: Is any deposit or holding of farm product, fertilizer, grains, feed and other
related supplies in facilities or container, often to prevent contamination or for times when production
cannot meet demand. It is an important marketing function which involves holding and processing
goods from the time they are produced until they are needed for consumption.
Scope:
There is tremendous production of fruits and vegetables in a shorter period. Therefore, to avoid the post
harvest loss and to increase substantial returns to processors for off season consumption. Availability of
cheap labour, Government Subsidy for cold storage and processing units, convenience of roads in case
for marketing and transport. Availability of cans, bottles, and other equipments at cheap rate, there is
tremendous for export of processed products like Jam, jelly, marmalade, pickles, etc. dehydrated and
dried vegetables in addition to domestic demand in India.

Importance of food storage

The purpose of any storage facility is to provide safe storage condition for the produce or product in
question in order to prevent losses that may be cause by an adverse weather conditions, moisture
content, rodent, birds, insect and microorganism like fungi, bacteria and mould. Hence:

Basic Requirements for food storage

A good storage structure is the one, which can provide protection against all possible causes of
damage. A food storage structure, for storing food grains on a large scale, should have the
following essential features:

1. It should be easy to clean.

2. It should provide protection from rodents, birds and other animals.

3. It should be waterproof and moisture proof.

4. It should protect the food grains against variations of temperature and humidity.

5. It should have provision for periodical inspection.

6. It should have provision for application of pesticides through spraying or fumigation.

7. It should be located far away from possible sources of infection such as kilns, flour mills, and
bone crushing mills, garbage rumps, tanneries, slaughter houses and chemical industries.

8. It should be located at a convenient place from where it is easy to receive issue and transport
the food gains. This explains why most of the storage structures are located near railway
stations or on highways.

Safe and scientific storage

In designing and constructing storage structure following points shall be borne in mind:

1. All holes, pipes and ducts and other openings shall be guarded by suitable means, such
as gratings, etc., in order to prevent the entry of rats and other vermin.

2. The structure shall have smooth, crack free internal surfaces and shall have no
unnecessary cavities and projections to prevent the lodgement from insects and vermin.
Periodical fumigation and other treatments should be done to eliminate infestation of
grains by insects, fungus etc. The structure shall be designed so as to facilitate its sealing
for fumigation or have facility to seal a portion where fumigation has to be carried out,
or it may be made completely airtight if required.

3. Godowns should have good ventilation arrangement to prevent moisture accumulation

in pockets.

4. The structure shall be designed to make it possible to control moisture. Moisture may
be controlled by adopting methods of construction using non-hygroscopic material, by
sound wall, roof and floor construction, by the use of vapour barriers, and by the use of
aeration.

5. The structure shall be so oriented that it will receive the minimum solar radiation.
Reflective external surfaces, insulating materials, sun shades, a minimum of glass
surfaces, controlled ventilation and aeration, to reduce the internal temperature may be
used.
 Selection of site for storage
The site of a storage plant should be selected bearing in mind its accessibility to highways,
production areas, shipping points and distribution centers. Availability of fuel, telephone
systems, electricity, water and sewer should also be considered. The site should be levelled so
that costs of excavations and steep driveways are minimized.

The size and type of a storage facility is likely to be dictated by:

• Total volume of crop/produce to be stored;

• The storage requirements for the crop/produce to be stored;

• The unit cost of various types of storage;

• The form in which the crop/produce is stored, i.e. cob maize versus shelled maize, or bagged
wheat versus bulk wheat.

Pre and Post storage operations

Pre and post storage operations are very important in food storage engineering for long
term storage.

It includes,

1) Cleaning
Cleaning in the food industry is not an easy task. However, it is a critical step within food
production since it is crucial to maintain and guarantee food safety. Understanding
various soil challenges, why we clean and how detergents and disinfectants work is key
to ensuring a safe, hygienic manufacturing environment.

So the big question remains: Why do we clean ?

 Prevent Transfer of Products/Ingredients––If a number of products are manufactured

on the same machine, it is undesirable to cross-contaminate chemicals or alternate from
one product to the next.

 Avoid Microbial Contamination––This can lead to a number of problems––reduced

product quality, harm to health or even life threatening circumstances in some cases.
Cleaning alone is no guarantee of decontamination, but it is a pre-requisite to
disinfection.

 Ensure Disinfectant Efficiency––Soil impacts the effectiveness of a disinfectant. The less

soil on the surface, the more effective the disinfect will be at reducing microbiological
contamination.
 Improve Plant Efficiency––Soil contamination reduces the efficiency of equipment and
the production process.

 Increase Safety––Facilities that are not cleaned effectively have more potential safety
risks—like slips and falls––due to food waste on floors. Also, major incidents due to
build up of soil in equipment can also occur.

 Impact Financial Implications––Reducing waste from spoilage can significantly extend

the life of equipment and machinery.

 Minimize Legal Ramifications––Although it may not be common knowledge, there are

often legal requirements for food facilities to clean surfaces and equipment to a specific
standard.

 Boost Stakeholder Confidence––Finally the appearance of plant and premises is often

overlooked but the psychological benefits and confidence gained from clean, hygienic
equipment and tidy surroundings have a significant impact on both worker satisfaction and
customer confidence.

2) Drying
Food drying is the removal of water from food particles. It is also known as Dehydration

Food drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Since drying reduces the
moisture in foods making them lightweight and convenient to store, it can easily be used in
place of other food preservation techniques. In fact, one can even use drying along with
other food preservation techniques such as freezing or canning, which would make the
process of food preservation even better.

 Drying preserves food by reducing its moisture content to a level where spoiling
bacteria and moulds are unable to grow.

 Exposing produce to a regular flow of hot, dry air will remove moisture quickly and
concentrate its sugar content (particularly in the case of fruit). This gives a delicious
sweet flavour and an antibacterial effect.

 Drying will dramatically reduce the volume of the various foods which makes them
easier and more convenient to store.

 Dried foods can be kept on the shelf for long periods.

 The faster a food is dried(done at a higher temperature), the higher its vitamin content
will be and lowers the risk of contamination by bacteria. However, high temperatures
may lead to the exterior drying and hardening into a shell, sealing moisture inside the
food which will later cause spoilage.

 Best results are achieved with drying temperatures in the 40° to 60°C (104° to
140°F) range.
Food spoilage
Spoilage is the process in which food deteriorates to the point in which it is not edible to
humans or its quality of edibility becomes reduced.

Food spoilage can be defined as a disagreeable change in a food's normal state. Such changes
can be detected by smell, taste, touch, or sight.

Causes of spoilage and control measures

Following are the various sources causing spoilage in the stored food and corrective measures
are required to be exercised to minimize the effect to alleviate the effects.

1) Mechanical Damage

Causes

 incorrect harvesting methods

 Poor handling, threshing, shelling, cleaning, sorting or drying

 Bad transport and loading practices (e.g. use of hooks)

Effects

 Losses in weight

 Losses in quality (germination power, nutritional value)

 increased vulnerability to infestation from insect pests, fungi and rodents

Countermeasures

 Pay attention to maximum temperatures when drying

 Use safe techniques in harvesting, transport, processing and storage

 Take care when handling bags

 Repair or replace damaged bags

 Do not use hooks to carry bags

 Repair pallets (e.g. protruding nails!)

2) Heat

Causes

 Unsuitable storage structures (false location, insufficient shade and ventilation facilities,
lack of heat insulation)

 Mass reproduction of storage pests and fungi

 Lack of aeration of store

 High moisture content of the grain

Effects

 Losses in weight

 Losses in quality (nutritional value, germination power)

 Good conditions for pest development

 Condensation with subsequent development of fungi

Countermeasures

 Build suitable storage structures

 Provide shade for stores or silos (e.g. by means of wide eaves or shading trees)

 Keep temperatures as low as possible (aerate storage facility)

 Conduct treatments for pest control

 Store bags on pallets in order to improve aeration

 Maintain spaces of 1 m around all bag stacks

3) Moisture

Causes

 insufficient drying before storage

 High relative humidity

 Constructional faults and damage to the store (unsuitable materials, unsealed floor,
walls and roof, holes, gaps, etc.)
  imbalances in temperature (e.g. day/night) in storage facility with subsequent
condensation

 Produce stored on the floor or touching the walls

 Mass reproduction of pests

Effects

 Losses in quality

 Losses in weight

 Development of fungi and formation of mycotoxins

 improved conditions for the development of pests

 Swelling and germination of seeds

 Damage to storage structures

Countermeasures

 Dry produce sufficiently before storage

 Repair and seal storage facility

 Keep relative humidity as low as possible in storage facility (perform controlled

ventilation)

 Store bags on pallets

 Maintain spaces of 1 m around all bag stacks

 Conduct pest control treatments

4 ) Insect Pests

Causes of infestation

 introduction of infested lots

 Cross infestation from neighboring lots or stores

 Migration from waste or rubbish

 Hiding places in stores (cracks, fissures)

 Use of infested bags

Effects

 Losses in weight

 Losses in quality (impurities such as droppings, cocoons and parts of insects, reduction
of nutritional value, reduction in germination power)

 increase of temperature and moisture

Countermeasures

 Harvest at the right time

 Choose tolerant varieties

 Keep means of transportation clean

 Remove infested cobs, panicles or pods before storage

 Ensure that produce is dry before storing

 Prevent pest introduction by checking for infestation before storing

 Clean the store daily

 Keep the temperature and relative humidity as low as possible (perform controlled
ventilation)

 Repair any damage to the store immediately

 Store old and new lots separately

 Clean empty bags thoroughly and treat them against insects if necessary

 Perform pest control treatments

 Rotate stocks: 'first in first out'

5) Microorganisms

Causes of infestation

 High moisture content of stored produce

 High relative humidity in store

 Condensation

 Humidity and moisture produced by insects

Effects

 Loss of quality (smell, taste, colour, nutritional value, germination power)

 Formation of mycotoxins

 Slight loss of weight (mould)

 Further increase in temperature and moisture

 Further condensation

Countermeasures

 Dry produce sufficiently before storage

 Keep relative humidity as low as possible in storage facility (perform controlled

ventilation)

 Store bags on pallets

 Maintain spaces of 1 m around all stacks

 Conduct pest control treatments

6) Rodents

Causes of infestation

 Penetration through badly closing doors, windows, ventilation openings, holes

 Lack of barriers

 Lack of hygiene in store and surrounding area (possible hiding and breeding places)

Effects

 Loss of weight

 High losses in quality due to contamination of produce with faeces and urine

 Contamination of produce with pathogenic agents (typhoid, rabies, hepatitis, plague,

etc.)

 Damage of material and facilities (bags, doors, electric cables)

Countermeasures

 Prevent entry of rodents by sealing store rat-proof

 Keep store and surrounding area clean

  Place traps

 Carry out rodent control measures

7) Birds

Causes of infestation

 Open or broken doors, windows, ventilation openings or roofs

Effects

 Losses in weight

 Damage to bags

 Contamination of stored produce with droppings and pathogenic agents

Countermeasures

 Bird-proof stores (carry out repair work, fit grilles or nets)

 Remove any nests of granivore birds from the store and surrounding area.

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