ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MAIZE (Zea Mays) STORED IN METALLIC SILOS

Abstract

The magnitude of deterioration of maize (Zea Mays) in storage and storage losses recorded globally is worrisome especially in the developing countries. However, with the evolution of metallic silos, there has been tremendous reduction in the storage losses. In the storage of maize (Zea Mays L.) in metallic silos especially for long period, certain degenerating changes do occur, due to the interaction between the stored maize and the immediate environment. These degenerating changes over time are expected to affect the Nutritional (NP) and Physical (PY) characteristics of the grain. The main objective of study is to evaluates the quality attribute of maize stored in metallic silos for a period of eight months, with a view to assess the extent of deterioration of some NP and PY characteristics, with duration of storage, based on the location of the grain in the bulk and size of the metallic silos. The values obtained were compared to the control, which is the values of the parameters of the stored maize determined using standard methods, before the inception of the storage. The temperature and relative humidity of the immediate environment were also recorded within the period. A randomized block design of 13 quality attributes, 9 sample location and 3 replicates making a total of 351 samples were used. The evaluation of data obtained was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 20) for windows evaluation version to determine levels of significance and trend of deterioration for all values obtained, using Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Duncan’s multivariate test. The NP properties evaluated include percentage Ash content AC, Crude Fiber CF, Protein CP, Carbohydrate content CHO, Fats FC, and Energy EV. The PY characteristics evaluated also include, percentage Moisture content MC (wb), Insect Damaged grains ID, Foreign Matters FM, Hectolitre weight HC, Mould infested grains M, and Germinability/viability V. The result of this