Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 4 May 2021

ISSUE FOCUS 50 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE May 2021 G rain began being cultivated in the Neolithic, and the Sumerians became the first society to store it by ca. 4000 B.C. Grain represents the most important nutritional element, both for hu- mans and animals. Its storage is especially important to guarantee food safety, but also for price stability The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one third of the food produced globally for hu- man consumption is lost or wasted along the supply chain. Every year, million tons of grain is lost due to improper storage conditions. Factors like humid- ity, heat, pests and aeration which are effective on storage conditions affect the quality and quantity of grain and shorten the storage period. In this re- gard, proper storage techniques are among the most important elements in food supply chain of grain which is a significant nutritional source. Thanks to the possibility to be stored for long- term, grains have long been to the rescue of man- kind in time of drought, famine and war for cen- turies. At a time of continued population growth, the need for food sources increases steadily and yet agricultural areas and production is limited. Thus, food waste becomes rather unaffordable – and here is where grain storage and storage conditions are be- come critical: when proper storage conditions are provided, loss and spoilage in grains might be re- duced greatly. In some countries, food losses are estimated to range from 15 to as high 50% because of bad/in- efficient storage. This is especially problematic in developing countries where food security and access are a real problem. The causes for such waste are manifold: harvesting at an incorrect stage of pro- duce maturity, excessive exposure to rain, drought or extremes of temperature, contamination by mi- cro-organisms and physical damage that reduces the value of the product. Food losses contribute to high food prices by re- moving part of the supply from the market. They also have an impact on environmental degradation and climate change as land, water, human labor and non-renewable resources such as fertilizer and ener- gy are used to produce, process, handle and trans- port food that no one consumes. It is here when postharvest management plays a major role. It includes all elements in the value SAFE AND CARE OF GRAIN STORAGE “The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that one third of the food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted along the supply chain. Every year, million tons of grain is lost due to improper storage conditions.” Alfonso Garrido Parejo CEO Symaga