Management of Stored Grains

FIGURE 5.3 Basic management operations of cereals grains dnring storage. 

The diverter mechanical sampler draws a sample from a grain flow at the end of the belt or within a spont. It consists of a diverting arm that sweeps across the moving stream of grain. This sampling method is considered the most accnrate becanse representative cross sections are withdrawn and composited therefore minimizing 

The most common assay to determine mycotoxins is based on a quick solvent extraction (methanol-water, ethanol, chloroform, etc.) of the mycotoxin. The extract is then filtered and quantified via ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoassay) columns. The use of minicolumns is the most common because it is fast, repeatable, and reliable, and requires little expertise to run the assay. The test usually takes 5 minutes, so it allows processors to make important decisions about the acquisition and economic value of the grain. Other more time-consuming and complicated tests are thin-layer chromatography or other chromatographic techniques based on fluorescence or UV detectors. The main advantage of these tests is the identification of specific types of mycotoxins. 

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