Cereal harveting and

treatment

Asima Alim
M.Phil Zoology
• The name ‘cereal’ is given to those members of the grass
family (Gramineae) which are cultivated for their seed (ie.
grain), and include barley, maize (indian corn), millet, oats,
rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat.
• Cereal grains and their by-products are usually used as
dietary energy sources for monogastric farm animals,
including fish and shrimp.
Cereal Harvesting and Treatment
• In modern agriculture cereals are harvested mostly with combine
harvesters, which reap, thresh and clean the grain. However, during
the harvesting of cereals such as maize the grain often has a high
moisture content which requires further treatment and conservation, so
as to store it without any loss.
• The most frequent treatment is drying, during which a physical change
takes place, i.e., the decrease of moisture content, and biochemical
processes occurring within the cells of the grains.
Moisture Content of Cereals
• For optimal Storage the moisture content of cereals should not exceed
12-13%. A significant respiration starts above 15% moisture content,
which impairs the quality of the grains (due to biochemical processes).
The deterioration can be as high as 20-30%.
• Respiration is markedly influenced by temperature. The higher the
temperature the more intensive respiration becomes, and the greater
the carbon dioxide generated
• If the humidity of air reaches or exceeds 74%, the maize starts to
develop mould. An ideal condition of storing is a moisture content
under 14% and a relative humidity of air under 70%.
• To approach this ideal condition, the following should be noted:
(i) Only dry cereals should be harvested, if possible.
(ii) The following temperature limits should be considered when using
hot-air drying:
• Feed wheat------------------------82°C
• Bread wheat----------------------65°C
• Malting barley, seed grain------43-48°C
Air at ambient temperature may also be used for drying.
(iii) Chemical conservation is applied.
Chemical Treatment
• The freshly harvested grains are treated and conserved with propionic
and formic acid and then hermetically covered. pH value is 2-3, which
inhibits any microbiological process.
• The cereals can be conserved after preliminary drying. A 80% dry
matter content can be reached with good specific energy utilization.
• If any material with 20% moisture content is conserved with organic
acids, we can save energy and obtain a relatively 'dry' good feed.
Types of driers and some drying
technologies
• Convection drying is carried out with hot-air ventilation. If the ventilated
air contains some smoke or gases it may impart an off-flavour to the
grain.
• There are driers where the heat is transmitted from incandescent wires,
hot tubes or from the hot walls of the drier.
• In contact driers the cereal is placed on the heated floor.
• Cereals can be dried with heat generated directly into the material via an
electric current, electric field, induced whirling current or chemical
reaction.
• Driers can be designed for periodic or continuous operation, according to
their requirements.
Types of Driers
• Vertical:
Their capacity is high and they need relatively small space.
• Horizontal:
The advantage of these driers is that the belt moves and not the grain,
which does not crumble. If the pellet layer on the belt is 15-20 cm thick,
it needs 16-20 min to dry. A 4-6 cm thick layer of pellets generally
needs 5 min to dry. These are then sifted to select the broken pellets,
which go back to the pellet press. The intact pellets are packed in sacks
or shared in silos
Grinding of Ingredients

• In a fish feed formulation,

the first thing you do is
measure all the necessary
ingredients in specified
proportions and grind them
one by one.
Mixing of Ingredients

• The next step is to mix all

the dry ingredients that are
already grounded. You need
a fish feed mixer to make it.
After mixing the dry
ingredients, you should mix
the vitamins and minerals
together.
• Add Water and Oil to the Mixture
• Warm the oil, add it to the mixture and mix everything together for at
least five minutes. Then add a little water at a time. Mix it with the
mixture until it forms a mash.
• Process the Feed Mash in a Pellet Machine
• The fish feed mixture is put into the fish feed extruder so that it can be
processed into pellets. The size of the pellets will depend on the size of
the fish that wants to be feed.
• Dry the Fish Feed Pellets
After granulated mash is formed, it is then dried in a fish feed
dryer to reduce the moisture content. Pellets should be dried at a
lower temperature than 60 degrees. This is because high
temperatures can destroy micronutrients found in the feed.
• Cooling technology
The pellets are usually cooled in Counter-flow type feed cooler, where
cool air takes away some heat and water. The pellets can be packaged at
room temperature. If the pellets are cooled without drying, a large
number of small cracks will appear on the surface and extend deep due
to rapid cooling and dehydration inside the pellet. Even fine gelatinized
powders may produce this phenomenon.