Have you ever had an entire batch of grains spoiled because their storage conditions were unfavorable? It’s a more common occurrence than you could imagine. An experiment reported by Hellemar in 1993 claims that out of two 2500 t wheat containers, the one with no chilling lost 56 t of wheat to insect infestation. But the one with a grain chiller lost none.
Cereal grains are often infected by seed-borne fungi, which cause irreversible damage to the grain. To avoid such unfortunate conditions, grain chillers are the ultimate solution for your business.
But why MUST you use grain chillers?
Grain chillers not only preserve the quality of the grains but also improve their lifetime. They achieve this by maintaining the optimum temperature and moisture levels in the storage facility. This ultimately increases profits in business as spoilage is minimized. And that’s why you must use grain chillers for grain storage.
This article will cover everything you need to know about grain chillers, starting with what they are and how they work.
What are Grain Chillers?
Grain chillers are specialized cooling systems designed to maintain the temperature and moisture content in a grain storage facility. These chillers gradually decrease the temperature and moisture content of the storage facility by running dry air through it.
As a result, mold and fungi growth and insect infestation is prevented. Good grain chillers even slow down the natural respiration process of the grains so that their quality is preserved for an extended period of time.
Grain chillers can be used for grains and seeds like
- Wheat
- Barley
- Paddy Rice
- Milled Rice
- Maize
- Soybeans
- Sunflower Seeds
- Cotton Seeds
- Alfalfa Pellets and Cubes
- Feed Pellets, etc.
This brings us to the question: are these chillers only required for farmers growing these grains? The answer is no. Let’s see in what possible cases grain chillers are used.
Use cases of Grain Chillers
Uses of green chillers are not limited to agriculture. You can use them across various industries, from agriculture to food processing. Here are some of the common applications:
- Grain processing units
In grain processing units, grains must be stored before and after they have been used. They require sealed units where grains won’t come in contact with air.
- Granaries
Farmers have large granaries to store the harvested grain before it is sold off or sent for further processing. They need to preserve the quality of the grain to get maximum market value from their sale.
- Food processing units
Grains are used as raw materials in several food items. Food processing units buy and store large quantities of grain for further manufacturing of food items. These grains should be protected from any infestation, and that’s why grain chillers are used.
- Breweries and distilleries
Beers and several spirits are made from grains. These grains are processed and stored under specific conditions (No exposure to oxygen and moisture, cold temperatures around 50°F to 70°F) to let them brew. If these conditions aren’t maintained, the entire batch could go to waste because of a change in the taste of the final product. That’s why breweries and distilleries need grain chillers.
Now that you know what grain chillers are and where they are used, you must really want to know how they will benefit your grain storage.
Benefits of Grain Chillers
The following benefits will make it more transparent why you should be using a grain chiller for your facility:
- Enhanced Grain Preservation
Grain chillers control temperature and moisture in a storage facility. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has proved how important it is to maintain the temperature for grain presentation. So, with these chillers, you can enhance the preservation of your grains and also maintain their quality and nutritional value.
- Energy Efficiency
Generalized temperature maintenance systems, like water-cooled chillers, consume more energy as they are usually set to operate at a specific temperature. They don’t need constant changes in temperature and moisture content with respect to the surrounding environment. So they consume more energy. But grain chillers are specially designed to regulate temperature and humidity as it changes, so their energy requirements are less comparatively, which makes them more energy efficient.
- Prevents Insect Infestation
Insects love warm and humid environments, and grain storage just offers them the perfect breeding ground. A grain chiller lessens the temperature to a degree that doesn’t offer these critters a favorable environment for reproduction and growth.
This not only maintains the high-quality standards of food safety but also eliminates the costs of chemical treatment to remove insects.
- Maximized Storage
Bulk storage of grains requires a large space. But that’s not always feasible while maintaining appropriate storage conditions.
But with grain chillers, these issues are resolved as you can stack grains in a small space. They won’t get damaged as suitable conditions are created inside the entire volume of the chiller container.
- Minimized Spoilage
When large quantities of grain are stored together, a lot of humidity is generated, especially if some of the grains have high water content. This humidity can spoil the entire batch by promoting fungal growth.
But grain chillers work specifically to remove this humidity, which ultimately leads to less spoilage.
- Year-Round Usage
Monsoons and winters get really cold and humid in certain regions. While the cold is good for grain storage, humidity is not so much.
This renders several grain storage units useless as the environment is too humid. But with grain chillers, you can maintain the ideal conditions year-round with slightly more energy.
Conclusion
Agricultural and associated activities need grains to be of high quality to get the right market value and adhere to safety standards. After putting effort into growing the crop, you wouldn’t want to compromise on the grain quality because of poor storage. Grain chillers are making a positive difference in preservation and infestation prevention.
With the right grain chiller from companies like Tempcon, you can stay ahead of your competition. And if that’s not good enough, consider the positive carbon footprint you will be leaving behind.
