Post-harvest quality assessment of stored pulses under different packaging materials

Abstract:

Jute bags versus airtight containers is a debate that plays out every harvest season in pulse-growing communities across East Africa, usually settled by habit rather than any side-by-side comparison of what each material actually does to stored grain over time. A six-month post-harvest research compared four packaging materials, jute bag, plastic bag, vacuum pack, and airtight plastic container, for their effect on moisture content, insect infestation, germination percentage, and overall grain quality of stored common bean at Dodoma. Vacuum packing preserved grain quality most effectively, limiting moisture gain to just 0.9 percentage points and insect damage to 2.1% of grains over the six-month storage period, against 34.2% insect damage recorded in jute bags over the same duration. Germination percentage after six months fell from an initial 94% to 88% under vacuum packing but collapsed to 61% under jute bag storage, reflecting both moisture-related deterioration and physical damage from insect feeding. Airtight containers performed nearly as well as vacuum packing on insect exclusion but showed somewhat higher moisture accumulation, likely due to residual air trapped within the container at sealing. These results support vacuum packing or, where the equipment cost is prohibitive, well-sealed airtight containers as substantially superior alternatives to the jute bags still most commonly used across smallholder pulse storage systems in this region, particularly where grain is intended for seed use or extended storage beyond three months.