Analysis of Heat and Moisture Transfer and Fungi-Induced Hot Spots in Maize Bulk with Different Broken Kernel Contents

Chaosai Liu, Guixiang Chen (), Deqian Zheng, Jun Yin, Chenxing Cui and Huankun Lu
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Chaosai Liu: College of Civil Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Guixiang Chen: College of Civil Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Deqian Zheng: College of Civil Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Jun Yin: Academy of National Food and Strategic Reservation Administration, Beijing 100037, China
Chenxing Cui: College of Civil Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Huankun Lu: College of Civil Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Kernel breakage and fungi-induced hot spots can easily lead to potential safety hazards in maize storage. The objective of this study was to focus on the formation and development of hot spots in maize bulk with two different broken kernels contents (BKCs), i.e., 4.26% (BKC 4.26 ) and 6.14% (BKC 6.14 ), and a moisture content of 16.3% under the same storage conditions. A multifunctional simulation system was developed to simulate the heat and moisture transfer process in stored grain bulk, and a new method was proposed to evaluate the effect of local hot spots on the storage safety of maize bulk with different BKCs. The results showed that there are differences in fungal respiration rates in the maize bulk with two different BKCs, and the temperature impact range caused by hot spots under the same storage conditions was different. The maximum temperature caused by fungal growth in BKC 4.26 and BKC 6.14 was 37.47 °C and 38.81 °C, and the proportion of high-temperature areas caused was 64.2% and 62.3%. The relative humidity at local hot spots continued to decrease, reaching 64.8% and 71.7% when stored for 1800 h in BKC 4.26 and BKC 6.14 . The CO 2 concentration at hot spots in BKC 6.14 was higher than that of BKC 4.26 , while the O 2 concentration was lower than BKC 4.26 . Dry matter loss (DML) at the hot spots in BKC 6.14 was higher than that in BKC 4.26 . A nonlinear model was developed to predict temperature changes of fungi-induced hot spots in maize bulk considering the storage time, temperature, relative humidity, and CO 2 concentration at the hot spots, and the model fit the experimental data reasonably well.

Keywords: grain storage; mildew; particle breakage; temperature and humidity distribution; gas concentration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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