Characteristics of Carbon Dioxide Production by Insect and Fungus Growth in Stored Wheat
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Abstract:
In the present work, the characteristics of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by insects and fungi were studied under different wheat storage conditions with varying temperatures and moisture contents. The findings could be useful for determining the storage safety of wheat. The results showed that storage temperature had the most dramatic effects on the rate of CO2 production by fungi during growth. When the storage temperature rose from 20 ℃ to 25 ℃, the CO2 production rate increased by ten-fold. Gas was mainly produced by insects in wheat with moisture in the safe range, while fungi were the main producers in high-moisture wheat. In terms of CO2 production characteristics, there was a linear relationship between insect density and CO2 production quantity (r > 0.99), and gas production by fungi appeared accelerated. The gas production rate increased by 5.96-fold when fungal counts in wheat did not change significantly (p > 0.05) during early storage. In large-scale wheat warehouse experiments, the gas production rate of insects was stable, and the CO2 concentration fluctuation rate was 13% at 25 days in the 4-m-deep area of the wheat bulk, at which insects carried out their activities. In comparison, the changes in CO2 concentrations were 37-fold at locations 0.5 m from mold spots. Therefore, the harmful activities of insects and fungi in stored wheat could be sensitively monitored by CO2 detection.
