Controlling microbial contamination in foods using effective clean and green technologies is important in producing food with less contaminants. This study investigates the effect of photosensitization treatment using naturally occurring curcumin on inactivating Aspergillus flavus spores on peanuts. Light dosages of 76.4 J/cm² and 114.5 J/cm² at 420 nm were employed in combination with curcumin concentrations from 25 to 100 μM. The inactivation efficiency of the treatment towards spores in suspension achieved a maximum 2 log CFU/mL reduction in viable spores with 75 μM of curcumin at a light dosage of 114.5 J/cm² (p < 0.05). The in vivo study was then designed using the optimum conditions from the in vitro experiment. The photosensitization treatment at three different curcumin concentrations (50, 75, 100 μM) extended the shelf-life of raw peanuts by 7 days when treated with 75 μM of curcumin combined with a 114.5 J/cm² light dosage and stored at 25 °C. The treatment effectively reduced average levels of aflatoxin B1 (AF-B1) on peanuts stored for 7 days at 25 °C from 9.65 mg/kg of untreated samples to 0.007 and 0.006 mg/kg for 75 and 100 μM curcumin (p < 0.05) respectively. The results show the potential use of curcumin-based photosensitization treatment in inactivating fungal growth and reducing AF-B1 concentration on raw peanuts.

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of high‐density polyethylene container combined or not with Super Grain Bag for cowpea grain storage. The experiments were conducted on‐station and on‐farm. The storage systems tested included high‐density polyethylene container (PC), Super Grain Bag (SGB), and polypropylene bag (PB). The insect infestation level and grain damage were determined monthly for 6 months at on‐station and every 2 months for 8 months at on‐farm trials. Acceptability test of the stored grain was carried out at the end of on‐station trials with farmers. Naturally infested grain was used, with an initial infestation level of 117 insects/kg and a percentage of damaged grain of 27%. After 6 months of storage on‐station, PB resulted in an increase of insect infestation to above 1300 insects/kg of cowpea grain and an increase of damaged grain to 79%. In the SGB and PC, the number of insects increased to 573 and 364 insects/kg, while the grain damage increased to 40% and 36%, respectively. After 4 months of storage the SGB was perforated by insects, compromising its hermeticity. The combination of PC with SGB (PC + SGB) reduced the proliferation of insects and grain damage, resulting in 257 insects/kg and 34%, respectively. The farmers highly accepted grain stored at PC and PC + SGB systems. The on‐farm trials confirmed the effectiveness of the polyethylene container on limiting insects multiplication and grain damage. Thus, the polyethylene container, associated or not with Super Grain Bag, showed to be effective for storage and preservation of cowpea grain, making it suitable for smallholder farmers, thereby reducing cowpea grain losses during storage.

The study evaluated the performance of polypropylene bag (PP), polyethylene drum (PD), polyethylene silo tank (PST), and super grain bag (SGB) on preserving maize quality. The trials were conducted on-station and on-farm. Insect density, grain damage, weight loss, and grain moisture content were determined monthly for six months for on-station trials. For on-farm, insect density and grain damage were assessed every two months for eight months, and the acceptability test of the grain was performed after the storage period. The initial insect density of the grain was 26 insects/kg (natural infestation), and the percentage of damaged grain was 1.6%. After six months, for grain stored in PP, the insect density increased by 31-fold, whereas damaged grain increased by 10-fold, resulting in a 31-fold increase in grain weight loss. In contrast, the insect density did not increase significantly in SGB, PD, and PST over six months of storage. Grain stored in SGB presented the highest acceptability, while grain stored in PP was considered unfit for human consumption. The on-farm trials confirmed the effectiveness of the SGB, PD and PST on minimizing insects’ multiplication and grain loss, making them suitable for reducing maize losses during long-term storage under smallholder farmers’ conditions. Key words: Grain loss, hermetic storage, insect pests, on-farm, sensory evaluation. The study evaluated the performance of polypropylene bag (PP), polyethylene drum (PD), polyethylene silo tank (PST), and super grain bag (SGB) on preserving maize quality. The trials were conducted on-station and on-farm. Insect density, grain damage, weight loss, and grain moisture content were determined monthly for six months for on-station trials. For on-farm, insect density and grain damage were assessed every two months for eight months, and the acceptability test of the grain was performed after the storage period. The initial insect density of the grain was 26 insects/kg (natural infestation), and the percentage of damaged grain was 1.6%. After six months, for grain stored in PP, the insect density increased by 31-fold, whereas damaged grain increased by 10-fold, resulting in a 31-fold increase in grain weight loss. In contrast, the insect density did not increase significantly in SGB, PD, and PST over six months of storage. Grain stored in SGB presented the highest acceptability, while grain stored in PP was considered unfit for human consumption. The on-farm trials confirmed the effectiveness of the SGB, PD and PST on minimizing insects’ multiplication and grain loss, making them suitable for reducing maize losses during long-term storage under smallholder farmers’ conditions. Key words: Grain loss, hermetic storage, insect pests, on-farm, sensory evaluation.

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain types of fungi that contaminate food and feed, posing serious health risks to human and livestock. Photosensitization is a light-based technique, which has emerged as a novel and promising green technology to control microbial growth in food and feed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of solvent medium including ethanol (EtOH), 50% (v/v) propylene glycol (PG), 20 % (v/v) tween 20 (TW-20), and 20 % (v/v) tween 80 (TW-80), on curcumin-mediated photosensitization to inactivate Aspergillus flavus spores in vitro and on the surface of yellow and white maize kernel and flour. Results showed a reduction in the phototoxic activity of curcumin in TW-20 and TW-80. However, curcumin-based photosensitization using EtOH and PG as solvents led to a significant decrease in the colony forming ability of A. flavus spores in vitro, up to 2.04 and 3.33 log colony-forming unit (CFU), respectively. Interestingly, fungal growth was delayed in photosensitized maize kernel and flour for 14 and 7 days, respectively, which were stored at 25 °C. Consequently, no Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was detected in maize kernels after 20 days of storage at 25 °C, whereas accumulation of the toxin was reduced by 91% in photosensitized flour. Thus, photosensitization showed to be a potential alternative to reduce A. flavus contamination on maize kernel and flour, giving rise to low concentrations of AFB1. This technique has the potential for use in feed applications resulting in the reduction of postharvest losses in maize.