Food
protection and Role of Insects in Food infestation
Dr. GURUPRASAD B.R.
Young
Scientist
Food
Protection and Infestation Control Department
CSIR-
Central Food Technological Research Institute
Mysore-570020.
Insects are the most diverse species of animals
living on earth. Apart from the open ocean, insects can be found in all
habitats; Insects are undoubtedly the most adaptable form of life as their
total numbers far exceed that of any other animal category. The majority of
insects are directly important to humans and the environment. For example,
several insect species are predators or parasitoids on other harmful pests;
others are pollinators, decomposers of organic matter or producers of valuable
products such as honey or silk. Less than 0.5 percentage of the total number of
the known insect species are considered pests, and only a few of these can be a
serious menace to people. Insect pests inflict damage to humans, farm animals
and crops. Some insects can constitute a major threat to entire countries or a
group of nations. Insects cause direct losses qualitatively and quantitatively
during storage. The main source of quality deterioration is by direct feeding
on grains, chemical changes in grain content, contamination with moult skin and
body parts and by spreading the pathogenic microorganisms. Indirect losses
include loss of seed viability, damage to storage structures etc. The worth of
loss of seed viability is still more when the produce is meant for seed
purpose. Insects destroy the wooden structures, containers, polythene lined
bags, etc during storage.
The storage losses
due to insects alone account for nearly
Rs 10000 crores. According to World Bank report, postharvest
losses in India amount to 12 to 16 million metric tonnes of food grains annually,
an amount that the world bank stipulates could feed one third of India’s poor.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University attempted to estimate the losses to food
grains in the farmer’s holdings. The results revealed 12.9, 16.0, 14.0 and 12.7
per cent post-harvest losses in paddy, sorghum, bajra and maize, respectively.
Out of these losses, insects alone account for 2.0 to 4.2 per cent. Stored
grains are being damaged by number of pests like insects, rodents, fungi,
birds, mites, etc.
The management of stored
grain insects include different methods like physical, mechanical, biological,
chemical and management through botanical pesticides. Above all, maintenance of
sanitation is a must to avoid the entry of insects in to the storage godowns.
Probe pit fall traps, cone pit fall traps can be used to detect the insects in
grain. Measurement of carbon dioxide during storage is useful to detect the
insects and moulds. Heat disinfestations for 24 hours at 50oC is
useful to manage the insects in stored grains. But this method needs a heat
source, plant personnel and heat tolerant equipment. In warehouses, U.V. light
traps, crawling traps, flight traps, and pheromone traps (Indian meal moth) can
be used to monitor the insects.
In the seminar, some important following concepts will be discussed. 1.Types of pest causing infestation on grains and food commodities. 2. Important insect pests of stored food
grains. 3. House hold measures to control losses during storage. 4. Traditional
practices against pest. 5. Other popularly used plant products for safe storage
of food grains. Along with this, factors and status of food grain wastage in
India will be presented. Continuous availability of food
grains throughout the year is only possible through safe storage practices at
house hold level. The safe storage practices discussed above have advantages
over chemical treatments due to their low cost, easy availability, safe to use
and eco-friendly nature.
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