Effect Of Moisture Content Of Seeds On Corn Storage Quality

In this papeT, the effects of different corn moisture and mold contents on cornqua1ity have been systematica1ly stUdied. Tria1s have been carried out over atwo-year period, and statistical data has been gathered on corn moisture contentfrom the production and state purchase figures for the period 1990 to 200l. Thefol1owing results were obtainedtl. It has been determined that the moisture content of com produced in theHei1ongiiang Province has varied irregular1y over the past ten years. Theaverage value of the moisture content of corn purchased by the state is26.4%. This has been shown to be due to planting varieties which require along time to reach maturity.2. The safe storage time of corn with a l2-l4% moistUre content is in excessof 120 da})s between 0'C and 30"C. For corn witl1 a higher moisturecontent, the safe storage time falls quickly as the temperature rises. Whenthe same variety is p]aned in different areas(Shuangcheng,Hulan andSuhua) and harvested it has a different moisture content so that the internalquality of the corn varies significantly. A1l the internal quality indices ofthe Longdan 13 variety are bet'ter than those of the other two varieties(Sidan l9 and Benyu 9 ) which are sourced from outside the Province.3. The moistUre content of the embryo is higher than that of the seeds andendosperm in the wet corn, the moistUre conient of the endosperm being1ower than that of the seeds. In the dry corn, the moistUre content ofembryo is lower than that of the seeds and endosperm. The fat'ty acidcontent in the embryo is always higher than that of the endosperm underthe saxne conditions. Wth rising temperature and humidity the fatty acidcontent in the embryo increases rapidly, but that of the endosperm changesless quickly. It has been demonstrated the correlations among fatty acidand moisture content and temperat'[Jre.4. When the moisture content is less than l4%, the rate of respiration risesIImore slowly over the temperature range 10癈 to 70?C. The rate of inspiration for all levels of moisture reaches a maximum at 50?C. 5. When the moisture content increases from 9.7% to 11%, the percentage of mold present increases rapidly and it further increases with increasing moisture content. The development of mold species varies with increasing moisture content and temperature and, clearly, the amount of mold also increases.5. Mold can influence the internal quality as its quantity has greatly increased on the higher temperature and higher humidity condition. The action of mold decomposing starch in high moisture content corn is greater than that in low moisture corn. The fatty acid content increases with rising temperature, but it changes irregularly when the normal storage temperature range is exceeded. Fatty acid value in wet corn is much higher than that of dry corn. Mold content has little effect on corn fat and protein. A significant positive correlation between mold content and moisture content has been demonstrated.