Bolat Ergali, senior lecture

The Kostanai State University after A. Baitursynov

Postharvest processing of grain

 

Grain in the form in which it is delivered from harvesters, only in rare cases it is clean enough in order to be stored or to further processing and use. Therefore, the bulk of the grain heap requires urgent cleaning. You can use ¬ grain cleaning machines and grain cleaning - drying systems, their cost is approximately equal to the price of 1400 t of grain. So many farms have to resort to monopoly market service.

While small and medium-sized farms can use previously developed relatively cheap for cleaning grain and seeds. Their difference is new highly effective principle of separation, bringing into exploitation  and usage, low cost price, simplicity andreliability of operating. They differ from the traditional airily-sieve machines on the mode of operating and processing  technology.

In a typical cleansing machine working part is flatsieve with round or straightbreakdown apertures. The corresponding number of sievesarranged  into oscillating mill, purged by airflow. Each sieve is cleared from the bottom  bymoving brushes. Two drawbacks of this method are characterized by: partitions between the sieves restrain their  throughput capacity, moving sieves and facilities for cleaning often damage  grains and seed . In classicalseeds cleaning machine of airly-sieve principle of operating, working parts comprise only 5 - 10%  of the machineweight. This determines its high cost.

The second method of grain masscleaning-  free movement under the influence of gravity   happens through the system of  bent according to the certain radius combs  in the form of  parallel formed  rods. The distance  between the rods is determined by the grain size of cleaned crop culture.

Farms need storages withsufficient capacity for raw materials and finished products. For this purpose, we mainly use reinforced concrete silage corps and warehouses of floor type. Butreinforced concrete silage corpshave high specific consumption of materials and costs. It takes much time to build them and there is no guarantee of quality and safety of products.

Floor warehouses are cheaper, but require large areasand , as a rule, do not have full mechanization of  unloading , aeration systems are ineffective because of the " dead " zones.

Furthermore, there are losses which occur while storing because of insufficient protection from weather conditions and rodents. In overseas, and recently in domestic practice there have been started using of metal  silage storage and  warehouse floor type.

Metal – can be produced not only forgrain storing, but also mealy and hard-runningproducts.

Aeration of storedproduct allows not only to provide possible temperature, but also to reduce its humidity content. It is possible to store  in hypoxic gas environment.

Selection of drying machines for farms should be based on zonal conditions and the kind of processed grains.

In husbandries of grain direction it is necessary to have mills. The calculation is simple: the implementation ofproduced grain in the form of flour at leastincreases its price at to times, and if we have a bakery , the profitability of farming will be doubled. There is no profit in the present state of thegrain market. Only its processing can provide high profitability of the farm. The same applies to other farms direction( meat, milk, etc.): It is advisable  to organize processing of poultry, fish , milk, sunflower, buckwheat and other raw materials on the place where it is cultivated or bred.

Grain humidity -  a parameter which determines  the ripeness  of corn, consequently,  terms and methods of harvesting (separate or direct combining ), modes of harvesting  and processing  equipment, short and long term of cornstorage. Humidity content - one of the most important parameters of quantitative calculation of production. Information about corn humidity influence on corn production  effectiveness.  Immediate estimation ofdifferentcrops ripening in each field, we can calculate necessary power andharvesters maneuvering, to provide harvesting in optimal periods.

The researchers found that the optimal corn humidity limit for threshing (minimal damage) - between 12 - 14 % and 21 - 23 %. It is known that the intensity of humidity limit with minimal damage corresponds to highest germinating capacity of seeds.

To reduce mechanical damage of corn it is necessary to set the working elements and regulatethe mode of harvesters operation considering corn humidity, in particular, its changes during 24 hours. Changes can be significant.

Premature mowing leads not only to the damage increase, but also to the puny corn characterized with low volumetric mass. Up-to-date information on its humidity gives the opportunity to start harvesting wheat, rye, oats and triticale in the optimal periods of time, which leads to the increase of  corn harvest at 0.7 ... 1.6 cwt / ha.

 

Reference

1. «Àãðàðíûé Ñåêòîð», ¹ 4 (9), journal, September-October,2011 ãîä.

2.  Õðàíåíèå çåðíà è çåðíîâûõ ïðîäóêòîâ. Translated from English. Moscow. 1978