Electromagnetic imaging and infrared spectroscopy for quality monitoring and preservation of cereal grains

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The value of Canada's annual grain crop is about $6 billion and 70% of the produced grains are exported. It is estimated that 2% of the harvested crop (worth $120 million) gets wasted during handling and storage. Most buyers specify stringent quality requirements as well as zero-tolerance for contaminants. The current method of grading grain relies heavily on manual inspection, which is time consuming, subjective and requires trained personnel. Therefore, alternative rapid, objective, accurate, and cost effective techniques are needed for grain quality monitoring in real-time that can potentially assist or replace manual inspection. The quality of grain also deteriorates during storage, which could be anywhere from a few months to over a year in Canada. With the disappearance of country elevators over the last few decades, more grain is being stored on-farm for longer periods. This has led to larger-sized bins that are difficult to monitor. Hanging temperature and moisture sensors on cables in these large bins poses many practical limitations. Thus, a non-invasive method of monitoring quality of grain stored in bins is highly desirable. The long-term goal of my internationally recognized research program is to minimize post-harvest losses and preserve the quality of grain by means of exploiting grain's optical characteristics non-destructively and in real-time. My preliminary work in this area lays the foundation for research that will be conducted in the realm of this proposal over the next 5-years. These short-term objectives are to (i) use the technique of mid infrared spectroscopy to quantify the hazardous secondary metabolites produced by grain fungi; (ii) study the microstructural changes that take place in grain kernels as a consequence of fungal infestations using soft X-ray spectro-microscopy; and (iii) adapt microwave imaging, a technique that is used for detection of cancerous tumors, to monitor the storage conditions inside grain bins. The state-of-the-art infrastructure recently acquired through a $2 million CFI grant uniquely positions my lab to conduct the research outlined in this proposal. The outcomes of these studies will have a transformative impact on the storage and handling of grains in Canada and worldwide. The optical method of detecting fungi and mycotoxins will help provide grain inspectors a currently unavailable but highly desirable tool to detect incipient infestations in real time. Using microwave imaging, Canadian producers will be able to monitor their grain bins non-invasively. The importers and consumers of Canadian grain will benefit from a safe supply of high quality cereals. The HQP trained on these studies will gain skills that are highly coveted by Canadian industries. In essence, the research will help enhance process efficiencies in grain handling and storage and also train highly skilled personnel who will contribute to the Canadian economy.