Quality, Decontamination, and Energy Use Considerations During Radiant‐Heat and Tempering Treatments of Shelled Corn
2017; Wiley; Volume: 94; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1094/cchem-07-16-0190-r
ISSN1943-3638
AutoresShantae A. Wilson, Griffiths G. Atungulu, Gbenga Olatunde,
Tópico(s)Microbial Inactivation Methods
ResumoInfrared (IR) heating of corn followed by tempering treatments has potential to decontaminate corn of microbes without adverse effects on the overall corn quality. However, it is vital to determine the optimal processing parameters that maximize throughput and microbial load reduction and minimize drying energy without affecting overall corn quality. This study investigated effects of IR heating and tempering treatments on mold load reduction, corn color change, and drying energy requirements. Freshly harvested corn samples with initial moisture contents (IMCs) of 20, 24, and 28% wet basis were dried with a laboratory‐scale IR batch dryer in one and two drying passes. The dried samples were then tempered for 2, 4, and 6 h at 50, 70, and 90°C. Results showed that mold load reduction ranged from 1 to 3.8 log colony forming units per gram of corn (log CFU/g) for one‐pass treatments and from 0.8 to 4.4 log CFU/g for two‐pass treatments as tempering temperature and tempering duration increased. Compared with the control, treatments resulted in reduction of the corn color parameter (Δ E ) ( P < 0.05). Energy expended to dry the corn varied between 1.7 and 2.5 MJ/kg for one‐pass treatments and between 4.1 and 6.1 MJ/kg for two‐pass treatments. This work showed that IR heating of corn has the potential to significantly decontaminate microbes on corn. The IR process may help producers combat mycotoxin issues in corn that result from mold contamination.
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