Effectiveness of hermetic bag storage technology to preserve physical quality attributes of shea nuts

• Autores: Obeng Akrofi, George; Maier, Dirk E.; White, Wendy S.; Akowuah, Joseph O.; Bartosik, Ricardo Enrique; Cardoso, Marcelo Leandro
• Año de publicación: 2023
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Journal of Stored Products Research 101: 102086 (March 2023)
• Materia: Nuez; Almacenamiento Atmósfera Controlada; Preservación; Pérdidas Poscosecha; Tecnología Postcosecha; África al Sur del Sahara; Walnuts; Controlled Atmosphere Storage; Preservation; Postharvest Losses; Postharvest Technology; Africa South of Sahara
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

Shea nuts are a nutritionally and economically important tree crop harvested seasonally in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Storage losses are a major constraint in the shea nut value chain, with substantial amounts lost prior to processing and marketing. Hermetic bags have proven to be a viable technology for the effective storage of grains, oilseeds and pulses in sub-Saharan Africa due to their efficacy, low cost, and commercial availability. However, hermetic bag storage technology has not been investigated for the preservation of shea nut quality. In this study, shea nut storage in hermetic bags was compared to storage in jute sacks and woven polypropylene (PP) bags. Shea nuts had an initial moisture content of 7.3% (w.b.) and insect damage of 28%. Each storage treatment consisted of 12 bags of 20 kg shea nuts with samples taken from 3 bags every 6 weeks over a 30-week storage period. As ambient temperature and relative humidity conditions varied over time, moisture content varied within 1 percentage point in hermetic bags compared to 3 percentage points in the jute sacks and PP bags. Insect damage was maintained below 30% in hermetic bags, compared to 80% and 82% in PP bags and jute sacks, respectively. Weight loss due to insect damage was 4.5% in the hermetic bags compared to 10.1% and 11.6% in the jute sacks and PP bags, respectively. Carbon dioxide concentration in the hermetic bags remained below 6% over 30 weeks, indicating low insect and microbial activity. The results of this study have proven hermetic bag storage technology to be a viable option for the quality preservation of dry shea nuts, which should be strongly considered for adoption in the shea nut value chain.
EEA Balcarce
Fil: Obeng Akrofi, George. Iowa State University. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering; Estados Unidos.
Fil: Maier, Dirk E. Iowa State University. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering; Estados Unidos.
Fil: White, Wendy S. Iowa State University. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition; Estados Unidos.
Fil: Akowuah, Joseph O. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Kumasi; Ghana.
Fil: Bartosik, Ricardo Enrique. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.
Fil: Cardoso, Marcelo Leandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina.