POSTHARVEST OF CEREALS

This section outlines the steps involved in traditional processing of cereals. It is vital that
project planners and managers consider the traditional technologies in their particular socio-
economic context when introducing any technical improvements or adaptations. The following
main components of the postharvest food system are discussed.

Harvesting threshing, winnowing, drying and storage primary processing methods

Harvesting
There is an optimum time for harvesting which depends upon the maturity of the crop
and climatic conditions (FAO, 1970) and has a significant effect on the subsequent quality of
grain during storage. Harvesting often begins before the grain is fully ripe and extends until mold
and insect damages are prevalent. Grain not fully ripened contains a higher proportion of
moisture, and will deteriorate more quickly than mature grains because the enzyme systems are
still active. If the grain remains in the field after maturity, repeated wetting from rain and dew at
night, along with drying by the hot sun by day, may cause grain to crack (particularly long-grain
paddy). Advice is therefore frequently necessary on the correct harvesting time.
Cereal crops are traditionally harvested manually, requiting high labor demand and therefore in
many situations providing an important means of work to landless laborers.
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Threshing and Winnowing
Threshing is the removal of the grains from the rest of the plant. In the case of maize the
removal of the grain from the cob is referred to as shelling. Most manual threshing methods use
some implement, the simplest is stick or hinged flail with which the crop, spread on the floor, is
beaten. Such tools are simple and cheap but they are also laborious to use. Maize is shelled
mainly with the bare hands, by rubbing one cob against another. Threshing and shelling will
contribute to losses if carried out in a manner those results in cracking of grains. Other traditional
methods of threshing, such as use of animals to trample the sheaves on the threshing floor or the
modern equivalent using tractor wheels may result in loss of unseparated grain. This method also
allows impurities to become mixed with the grain, which may cause subsequent storage
problems.
Winnowing involves separating the chaff from the grain, if there is plenty of wind, the
threshed material is tossed in the air using forks, shovels, baskets, etc. The lighter chaff and
straw blow away while the heavy grains fall more or less vertically. Final cleaning may be done
with a winnowing basket, which is shaken until any chaff and dust separate at the upper edge. An
alternative method is to use winnowing sieves or open weave baskets. Separating impurities from
threshed grain can require almost as much labor as the original threshing. Once threshed the
grains much be dried and stored. In many cases these two functions are performed together so
that grain is drying during storage.
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Drying
During drying the moisture content of the grain is reduced. This helps prevent
germination of seeds, the growth of bacteria and fungi and considerably retards the development
of mites and insects. In traditional method the rate and uniformity of drying is difficult to control,
as it depends on the prevailing environmental conditions. Moreover, it is essential that food
grains be dried quickly and effectively. However, in most cases, regardless of the disadvantages,
the small farmer still prefers sun drying because it is cheap and simple.
Air is one environmental factor used as the drying medium, causing water to vaporize
and conveying the moisture vapor away from the grain. The moisture carrying capacity of air is
dependent upon its temperature and increases with the rise in temperature (e.g, at 30°C the air is
capable of holding twice as much moisture as 16°C). Reducing postharvest grain losses during
drying is a major objective of an improved technology. Some of the following traditional drying
methods highlight where losses can occur.
The simplest and most common method is to lay the cut stalks on the ground in the fields,
either in swaths of toss bundies or stacks or heaps, until the crop is dry. When the plants are piled
in large stacks they may suffer from lack of circulation leading to sprouting, discoloration, and
microbial damage. Sometimes racks are used for hanging unthreshed sorghum, millet, and
paddy. Most racks are designed to permit air movement through the drying material.
At the homestead the crop is further dried by spreading on woven mats, hard surfaces including
roads, plastic sheets, or on the roof or ground. The drying time depends on the prevailing
climatic conditions. Some farmers periodically turn or rake the grain during the drying period in
order to obtain uniform drying. During rainy period the crop must be protected until the weather
is again favorable. In other cases some farmers dry their produce on raised platforms of various
shapes.
After drying many farmers store their produce in the home, where the smoke and heat
produced during cooking helps complete the drying of the grain and reduces insect infestation.
The smoke produced and heat lost in traditional cooking stoves thus serves a useful purpose,
which should not be ignored in the development of improved stoves.
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Storage

Traditional storage systems have evolved over long periods within the limits of the local
culture. Large amount of grain for human consumption is stored containers constructed of plant
material, mud, or stones, often raised off the ground on platforms and protected from the weather
by roofing material. The design and materials vary according to local resources and custom. In
the humid areas of the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Kenya, maize is dried from a tree, by hanging
it on tacks, or by suspending it from poles. Because of the fear of theft, and because of the
problem of rain, rodent, and other predator, these methods are becoming less popular. In the
parts of East Africa and Central America wood ashes or rice husk ash is mixed with grain being
stored to control infestation.
Storage conditions influence the rate of deterioration of grains. High temperatures and
humidifies encourage mold growth and provide condition for rapid growth of insect in cool, dry
areas, more marked in hot, dry ones, high in cool and damp conditions, and very high in hot,
damp climates.