The effect of different salt concentrations on corn storage

The aim of this research is to determine the protective effects of different concentrations of salt solutions on microbiological degradation, germination, and weevil activity in stored corn. For this purpose; salt solutions are prepared at four concentrations (0% control, 10, 18, and 26%), and grains are dipped into these solutions within four different durations (10, 20, 40, and 60 s). Results of this study indicate that salt application respectively increase the water content and activity values of grains by an average of 1.86% and 0.110 units. The germination loss is determined as 63% during the storage, and amount of weevils reaches 813 counts at the end of 8 months storage duration even though the initial count of weevils is 5. Increasing salt concentration has an inhibiting effect on the yeast and mold growth in corn and the 26% salt concentration caused a three-log unit decrease in yeast and mold count. Novelty impact statement In this research, the protective effect of salt application as a minimal treatment against mold and insects in corn storage was investigated. It was determined that salt application reduced the number of mold in the sample a three-log unit without causing a loss of germination in corn, but it was not effective against insects (Sitophilus oryzae). It has been gained insight into that salt application can be more effective with a slightly drying after it is applied as a spray instead of dipping and thus it can be also a restrictive effect on insect activity.