Evaluation of losses and quality maintenance of wheat during storage in a commercial unit in Brazil

BACKGROUND Specific studies of Brazilian wheat storage on a commercial scale on the maintenance of wheat quality are required since the continental extent of Brazil has regions of different weather and because of the diversity of the storage network. This study aimed to evaluate the technological quality (physicochemical and rheological), sanitary quality (insects, fungi and mycotoxins) and dry matter loss of wheat stored in a metal silo in a commercial storage unit. Two dynamic samples, collected during loading and unloading of wheat in silos, and four static samples, collected using a commercial pneumatic grain sampler, were used in this study. RESULTS Silo temperature was higher than 20 °C during the summer season. The temperature was approximately 15 °C from June to December and provided excellent conditions for grain aeration, which resulted in the maintenance of wheat quality, with no changes in hectoliter weight and rheological properties of wheat (falling number, wet gluten and stability). The effect of Alternaria spp. (~220) and Aspergillus flavus (~7) infection on wheat did not differ statistically during the storage period, although a slight increase in A. flavus infection was noted in February (summer season). The wheat mycotoxins deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, aflatoxins and ochratoxin A were not detected during the studied storage period. Finally, dry matter reduced by approximately 0.4% after the storage period – approximately 0.013% per month. CONCLUSION The management practices and climate conditions in southern Brazil provided excellent conditions for grain aeration at ambient air temperature and led to the maintenance of wheat quality during the post‐harvest period. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.