Grain processing losses bibliography. Covering threshing, shelling, hulling, milling, grinding etc and excluding harvesting and storage (G117)

摘要

This bibliography is a companion to G110, 'A bibliography on post-harvest losses in cereals and pulses with particular reference to tropical and sub-tropical countries', by J. M. Adams (TPI, 1977). Whereas G110 covered storage, the present bibliography deals with the post-harvest processes from threshing to milling, with some abstracts on the secondary processes (cooking, baking, fermentation etc). The present world food situation has led technologists to look critically at all aspects of food production in order to increase the world's food resources. One aspect only recently studied with any great seriousness is the assessment and reduction of food processing losses. Losses occur at all stages of the food chain. Moreover, some losses made manifest at one point are caused earlier in the chain. Some obvious examples come to mind: failure to apply fertilizer leads to low yields; over-ripeness leads to threshing losses; bad threshing or drying techniques with paddy lead to broken rice at the mill, and so on. lt is always possible to reduce loss empirically, without prior assessment of the loss. However, to justify the necessary inputs of finance, labour etc, to reduce loss it is wise to assess the loss and measure its cost. In assessing loss two basic methods are available: (a) measurement of whole system, and (b) comparison of one process with a standard or optimal process. In (a) the loss itself is weighed. For example, by removing and weighing grain left on the stalk after threshing. In (b) the process is compared, in terms of yields and values, with an optimized, usually laboratory, process. All other unit operations in the processing chain are carried out in an identical way. For example, identical samples of maize cobs are dried to different moisture levels and then shelled: kernel damage is then compared. In this bibliography are abstracts of many useful technical papers on processing losses of cereals and grain legumes. Some areas are much better covered_than others, and it is hoped that this bibliography will spur researchers to concentrate on neglected areas. The introductory remarks1o some sections are taken from the AACC/LI FE publication 'Post-harvest Grain Loss Assessment Methods' (see page 3, A 1 ). NOTE: The lay-out of this bibliography is similar to that which has been so successfully used in the Composite Flour Bibliographies (G89 and G111), and it is hoped that users will find the system appropriate in the present case.