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Pest Control India (India) Pvt Ltd (PCI), which offers a comprehensive range of professional pest management services, quality products and equipment, has tied up with GrainPro Inc and introduced ‘Green’ storage system based on the ‘hermetic storage’ technique. It will help to keep commodities free of infestation, whilst preserving physical qualities such as nutritional value, colour, aroma, moisture content and germination capacity of the seed.
Unlike other pest management methods, including fumigation which are curative and not preventive, the ‘hermetic storage’ system does both, providing the advantage of preserving insect-free stock for much longer durations without the use of pesticides or fumigants which often leave residues in the stock.
The two main aspects of Hermetic Storage Systems are ‘Coccoon’ and ‘SuperGrainBag.’ For example, when infested grain is enclosed in such a ‘Coccoon’, the insects deplete the existing oxygen through breathing, replacing the space with carbondioxde and eventually creating such a low oxygen environment that it becomes impossible for them to survive.
Unlike other pest management methods, including fumigation which are curative and not preventive, the ‘hermetic storage’ system does both, providing the advantage of preserving insect-free stock for much longer durations without the use of pesticides or fumigants which often leave residues in the stock.
The two main aspects of Hermetic Storage Systems are ‘Coccoon’ and ‘SuperGrainBag.’ For example, when infested grain is enclosed in such a ‘Coccoon’, the insects deplete the existing oxygen through breathing, replacing the space with carbondioxde and eventually creating such a low oxygen environment that it becomes impossible for them to survive.
IRRI in partnership with GrainPro, Inc. and CSISA (Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia)-Bangladesh conducted a seminar on hermetic storage for grains and seeds for project partners and stakeholders in Bangladesh.
Resource persons were Carlito Balingbing of Postharvest Unit, GQNPC, IRRI, and Avinash Ramchandra Wagh, GrainPro, Inc.’s representative from India. The seminar, held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Dhaka on 26 April, was attended by 40 participants from the private sector, NGOs, and government organizations.
Dr. Hamid Miah, IRRI’s liaison scientist in Bangladesh, highlighted in his opening remarks that the lack of local variety seeds gives hermetic storage technology strong potential for adoption, especially in climatically affected countries. In 2004, the Rice-Cereal Project funded by USAID tested the IRRI Superbag, a farmer-friendly hermetic storage technology developed by IRRI in partnership with GrainPro, which resulted to better germination of seeds (above 90% even after 7 months of storage).
“The technology which has been proven and tested in Bangladesh by the public and private sectors in preserving quality of seeds has already gained wider acceptance, but availability is a problem, especially the IRRI Super bag,” claimed Dr. M.A. Razzaque, former director general of BARC who is now the executive director of Lal Teer Seed Ltd.
During the discussion, several issues were raised on the use of the hermetic super bag and Cocoons, a larger-capacity commercial hermetic storage system that is being marketed by GrainPro, Inc. These included attacks by rodents and insect infestations. IRRI and GrainPro resource persons advised that with proper management of hermetic super bags and proper setting up of the Cocoons, punctures due to mishandling can be avoided. Rodents are not attracted to bite the Cocoon if there are no folds on the sides of when it is installed. Mr. Avianash also assured the participants that grains/crops stored in hermetic systems prevent rodents from smelling the stored crops as gas is barely permeable.
Apart from commercial hermetic storage systems, Engr. Balingbing also demonstrated other options for hermetic storage containers such as empty PVC containers which are also locally available in Bangladesh. When properly sealed with silicon grease or other sealing materials, hermetic condition can be achieved inside.
In closing the seminar, Dr. Wais Kabir, the current executive chairman of BARC stressed that if the technology works, then it is the duty now of the private sector (such as GrainPro) to bring it to the farmers. He likened it to the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology, which has also been proven effective and helpful to the Bangladeshi farmers. What is needed now is to conduct more campaigns and to support the dissemination of the technology and to make it more cost-effective, especially the commercial systems.
Resource persons were Carlito Balingbing of Postharvest Unit, GQNPC, IRRI, and Avinash Ramchandra Wagh, GrainPro, Inc.’s representative from India. The seminar, held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Dhaka on 26 April, was attended by 40 participants from the private sector, NGOs, and government organizations.
Dr. Hamid Miah, IRRI’s liaison scientist in Bangladesh, highlighted in his opening remarks that the lack of local variety seeds gives hermetic storage technology strong potential for adoption, especially in climatically affected countries. In 2004, the Rice-Cereal Project funded by USAID tested the IRRI Superbag, a farmer-friendly hermetic storage technology developed by IRRI in partnership with GrainPro, which resulted to better germination of seeds (above 90% even after 7 months of storage).
“The technology which has been proven and tested in Bangladesh by the public and private sectors in preserving quality of seeds has already gained wider acceptance, but availability is a problem, especially the IRRI Super bag,” claimed Dr. M.A. Razzaque, former director general of BARC who is now the executive director of Lal Teer Seed Ltd.
During the discussion, several issues were raised on the use of the hermetic super bag and Cocoons, a larger-capacity commercial hermetic storage system that is being marketed by GrainPro, Inc. These included attacks by rodents and insect infestations. IRRI and GrainPro resource persons advised that with proper management of hermetic super bags and proper setting up of the Cocoons, punctures due to mishandling can be avoided. Rodents are not attracted to bite the Cocoon if there are no folds on the sides of when it is installed. Mr. Avianash also assured the participants that grains/crops stored in hermetic systems prevent rodents from smelling the stored crops as gas is barely permeable.
Apart from commercial hermetic storage systems, Engr. Balingbing also demonstrated other options for hermetic storage containers such as empty PVC containers which are also locally available in Bangladesh. When properly sealed with silicon grease or other sealing materials, hermetic condition can be achieved inside.
In closing the seminar, Dr. Wais Kabir, the current executive chairman of BARC stressed that if the technology works, then it is the duty now of the private sector (such as GrainPro) to bring it to the farmers. He likened it to the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology, which has also been proven effective and helpful to the Bangladeshi farmers. What is needed now is to conduct more campaigns and to support the dissemination of the technology and to make it more cost-effective, especially the commercial systems.
On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 7:20 PM, Katie Gilmer/Sustainable Harvest
wrote:
Dear Phil,
I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to write you to let you know about a major success we've had with the Grain Pro bag liners. A container of Kanyovu Cooperative coffee from our project in western Tanzania arrived to Seattle and nearly half of the bags had water damage. Some even looked like they had been dragged through the mud. This coffee is really expensive and is also very near and dear to our hearts, as our Africa staff has worked so hard to improve quality over the last three years.
You can imagine how afraid we were that half the container of coffee was ruined. Luckily, our customer had taken our advice and ordered the coffee in GrainPro. We ordered samples from the warehouse from both clean and damaged bags. Our cupping team in Portland tried the samples side by side, and breathed a sigh of relief. The two samples tasted exactly the same - delicious apricot and honey and a vibrant citrus acidity - just what we expect of our Tanzania coffee. GrainPro saves the day!
This was a true testament to the power of GrainPro and I wanted to say thank you to you and your team for such a great product.
Kind regards, Katie
Katie Gilmer | Communications Manager | Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers
The Natural Capital Center, 721 NW Ninth Avenue Suite 235, Portland, OR 97209
Office: (503) 235-1119 | Fax: (503) 296-2349 | Direct: (503) 445-9947
www.sustainableharvest.com
Dear Phil,
I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to write you to let you know about a major success we've had with the Grain Pro bag liners. A container of Kanyovu Cooperative coffee from our project in western Tanzania arrived to Seattle and nearly half of the bags had water damage. Some even looked like they had been dragged through the mud. This coffee is really expensive and is also very near and dear to our hearts, as our Africa staff has worked so hard to improve quality over the last three years.
You can imagine how afraid we were that half the container of coffee was ruined. Luckily, our customer had taken our advice and ordered the coffee in GrainPro. We ordered samples from the warehouse from both clean and damaged bags. Our cupping team in Portland tried the samples side by side, and breathed a sigh of relief. The two samples tasted exactly the same - delicious apricot and honey and a vibrant citrus acidity - just what we expect of our Tanzania coffee. GrainPro saves the day!
This was a true testament to the power of GrainPro and I wanted to say thank you to you and your team for such a great product.
Kind regards, Katie
Katie Gilmer | Communications Manager | Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers
The Natural Capital Center, 721 NW Ninth Avenue Suite 235, Portland, OR 97209
Office: (503) 235-1119 | Fax: (503) 296-2349 | Direct: (503) 445-9947
www.sustainableharvest.com
High moisture corn is difficult to store for a long period. Oxygen will quickly deteriorate quality, but under
air-tight conditions this product might become a valuable feed ingredient due to the fermentation process that
occurs when no oxygen is present... View full article.
Introduction
A recent evaluation of hermetic storage for green coffee beans was completed in Costa Rica by Icafe (Coffee Institute of Costa Rica) in December 2009, which produced similar results to the trial performed in 2008 at the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe in Costa Rica. As described in this article, these trials provided further validation as to the reasons why longterm hermetic storage of coffee, first used in 2001 at Monte de Oro Co-Op in Costa Rica, has become a widely accepted trend in the industry.
Safe storage of up to 1-year using flexible hermetic containers, for green or parchment coffee is currently used in some 13 countries. Hermetic storage is currently used by growers, processors, traders, importers and roasters in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Holland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Peru, and the US (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). View full article.
A recent evaluation of hermetic storage for green coffee beans was completed in Costa Rica by Icafe (Coffee Institute of Costa Rica) in December 2009, which produced similar results to the trial performed in 2008 at the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe in Costa Rica. As described in this article, these trials provided further validation as to the reasons why longterm hermetic storage of coffee, first used in 2001 at Monte de Oro Co-Op in Costa Rica, has become a widely accepted trend in the industry.
Safe storage of up to 1-year using flexible hermetic containers, for green or parchment coffee is currently used in some 13 countries. Hermetic storage is currently used by growers, processors, traders, importers and roasters in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Holland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Peru, and the US (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). View full article.
“GrainPro President Villers receiving, on behalf of company the Raizada Prize, awarded “in recognition for their inexpensive, low oxygen bag technology as well as successful efforts in developing nations to help poor farmers reduce post-harvest grain storage losses caused by pests and disease”.
GrainPro has appointed the following new distributors:
Enterprise SEBA3D in Benin
Askar G/Merchandise Ltd. in Uganda
Agro Innova S.A.S in Colombia
Afrique Phyto Burkina in Burkina Faso
Arimitsu de Costa Rica in Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Tecnicas Universales SA, in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador
Chemicals & Marketing Co. Ltd in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia
Agritech Mali, in Mali
Enterprise SEBA3D in Benin
Askar G/Merchandise Ltd. in Uganda
Agro Innova S.A.S in Colombia
Afrique Phyto Burkina in Burkina Faso
Arimitsu de Costa Rica in Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Tecnicas Universales SA, in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador
Chemicals & Marketing Co. Ltd in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia
Agritech Mali, in Mali
GrainPro Philippines, Inc., the manufacturing arm of GrainPro, Inc., became ISO 9001:2000 certified as of July 2, 2008. This achievement came thru intensive efforts of the local employees and a consultancy firm. This, all the more, emphasizes
the commitment of GrainPro to provide quality products to its customers worldwide.
"Roast Magazine" of July-August '08 publishes an article on the results of storing green coffee in GrainPro SuperGrainbags™. This article describes in scientific terms the reasons why coffee in traditional packing gets bad and how hermetically sealed bags preserve the unique taste and aroma of coffee beans. It is a worthwhile reading for anyone who takes storing and transporting specialty coffee seriously. Click here for a PDF copy.
The recent March 2008 issue of "Coffee and Cocoa International" has an article by GrainPro's VP Marketing on "Storage of Cocoa Beans in the Tropics". For a PDF copy, click here.
GrainPro and its scientific partners have invested several years of scientific research in the possibility of storing high moisture (> 18%) corn. The results of the basic research have been recently published (click here). This research has been followed by successful field trials in China and Philippines, all confirming that high moisture corn stored under gas tight conditions can be preserved well without affecting the nutritional value, starch, and protein. Molds and mycotoxins are controlled by the high CO2 levels developed during storage.
The corn develops a smell of fermentation and can be well digested by animals. This technology enables corn producers to store their corn either shelled or on the cob in times when the sun or mechanical driers are not available. The specific merits of fermented corn are, at present, being evaluated by the leading feed nutrition industry.
The corn develops a smell of fermentation and can be well digested by animals. This technology enables corn producers to store their corn either shelled or on the cob in times when the sun or mechanical driers are not available. The specific merits of fermented corn are, at present, being evaluated by the leading feed nutrition industry.
Agrimat Ltd., GrainPro's dynamic distributor in Accra, is undertaking a national campaign to introduce a solution for "in house food security" in Ghana with SuperGrainbags™ (SGB). The SGB's are being sold throughout the country thru some 20 agricultural retail outlets. Farmers' households experiencing this simple way of keeping their stocks insect-free are of help in promoting the product nationwide. A promotion campaign is launched on commercial TV to advertise this innovative product.
With rice prices doubling and more in Asia, the question of large scale introduction of brown rice needs to be raised again. On April 20, the spokesman of the President of the Philippines, Ms. Fajardo, called on the National Food Authority to introduce brown rice back into the diet of the Filipinos. Brown rice ("brice") is more nutritious than white (well milled) rice, contains more fiber, vitamins, and oil and was a normal part of the diet up to a hundred years ago, when rice milling technology enabled large scale supply of white rice (click here to read more on health benefits).
Due to its nutritional value, human intake of brown rice is about 10% less than white rice. Its proven health effect has been long time acknowledged. One of the problems of storing brown rice was its limited shelf life. With the introduction of hermetic storage technology, the shelf life problem however has been resolved and brown rice can be stored as long as paddy in a self generated modified atmosphere. GrainPro is trying to address the Government of the Philippines. For more information on storing brown rice, click here.
Due to its nutritional value, human intake of brown rice is about 10% less than white rice. Its proven health effect has been long time acknowledged. One of the problems of storing brown rice was its limited shelf life. With the introduction of hermetic storage technology, the shelf life problem however has been resolved and brown rice can be stored as long as paddy in a self generated modified atmosphere. GrainPro is trying to address the Government of the Philippines. For more information on storing brown rice, click here.
A new product line has been developed for the use in shipping containers, the "TranSafeliner™". Installed as a gas tight liner in a container, it enables the commodity transported to be "fumigated" while in transit using the modified atmosphere (hermetic storage) or controlled atmosphere (G-HF) principle. In addition, the excellent water vapor transmission rates of the liner prevent any water absorption by the shipped commodity as well as condensation due to temperature fluctuation. For more information, please click here.
Both in Ghana as well as in Indonesia, GrainPro is collaborating with major cocoa processors on the improvement of cocoa bean storage. Under tropical conditions, insect damage is substantial and hard to control while above critical moisture contents cause molds and increase in free fatty acids. Modified atmosphere created by oxidation and enzymatic lipase enable control and elimination of all storage pests and prevent mold development. Results till now are promising and may revolutionize the way expensive cocoa beans have been traditionally stored. For more information contact us.
Though most of the corn produced in the world is used for animal feeds, increasing amounts of this commodity are going to the ethanol and starch industry. Both industries use a "wet" process for the extraction of their products, bringing the corn to a moisture level of about 30%.
Since in many regions of the world corn is harvested at 30% moisture content and subsequently dried to 14% in order to be able to store it, a technology enabling storing corn at any moisture content higher than 14% would save a lot of energy. In addition, drying reduces the starch content of corn.
GrainPro is now evaluating a technology to store high moisture corn with one of the world's leading starch companies, using the hermetic storage principle. High concentrations of CO2 should prevent mold development in the corn, provided these concentrations will be effectively contained in an hermetically sealed environment and the temperature of the commodity is suitable.
Thus, GrainPro and its researchers are trying to advance a technology that will reduce energy costs and will save on fuel.
Since in many regions of the world corn is harvested at 30% moisture content and subsequently dried to 14% in order to be able to store it, a technology enabling storing corn at any moisture content higher than 14% would save a lot of energy. In addition, drying reduces the starch content of corn.
GrainPro is now evaluating a technology to store high moisture corn with one of the world's leading starch companies, using the hermetic storage principle. High concentrations of CO2 should prevent mold development in the corn, provided these concentrations will be effectively contained in an hermetically sealed environment and the temperature of the commodity is suitable.
Thus, GrainPro and its researchers are trying to advance a technology that will reduce energy costs and will save on fuel.
For a PDF copy of the latest GrainPro Newsletter, please click here. Hard copies can be obtained at request from our offices in the US or in the Philippines.
