Optical techniques for quality monitoring and preservation of cereal grains

加拿大的农业和农业食品业每年为我们的经济贡献超过1100亿美元；粮食生产占这一收入的40%。然而，农场收获后的作物损失每年给我们的经济造成超过10亿美元的损失，因为储存不良的作物无法满足国内加工商和进口国的严格质量要求。尽管在其他部门取得了巨大的技术进步，但农作物的储存和质量监测主要是使用传统手段完成的。为了加强或取代人工检测，减少损失，需要新的快速、准确和经济有效的粮食质量监测技术。有可能利用谷物的物理和光学特性，并以环境可持续的方式开发这种工具。我的研究项目旨在通过光谱指纹、电磁成像(EMI)和微观结构分析，了解和利用电磁频谱与原材料和食品原料的相互作用，以优化质量监测、分级和加工操作。在接下来的五年里，我的团队将：(I)使用X射线µCT模拟不同压实程度下散装大豆的晶间孔隙结构；(Ii)提出全尺寸谷物储存箱的谷物干燥模型，并根据使用EMI系统捕获的干燥前沿所经过的路径进行验证；(Iii)评估使用傅立叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱显微镜对谷物真菌产生的有毒次生代谢物(真菌毒素)进行量化的有效性；以及(Iv)寻找证据支持软X射线光谱显微镜(SM)可以用来揭示由于真菌侵染而在谷粒中发生的微结构变化的假设。由CFI资助的马尼托巴大学谷物储存研究实验室的最先进基础设施使我们能够实施拟议的研究计划，这将对提高加拿大和世界各地的谷物储存和质量监测的效率产生革命性的影响。我们的目标是描述储藏箱中的颗粒间孔隙空间，这一目标有可能改写指导通风系统设计的谷物干燥理论。从根本上了解大块的热量和质量传递将导致高效的强制空气干燥系统，该系统将为农民带来成本节约，从更低的燃料消耗到减少谷物变质。这种检测真菌和真菌毒素的光学方法将有助于为谷物检查员提供实时检测早期侵扰的工具，为进口商和消费者提供安全的优质加拿大谷物供应。我同样致力于提升初级农业中代表性不足群体的形象，并为我的总部提供加拿大农业食品行业梦寐以求的技能，以帮助创造一支在人口统计学上反映我们社会的熟练劳动力。

Canada's agriculture and agri-food industry contributes over $110 billion annually to our economy; grain production accounts for 40% of this revenue. However, on-farm post-harvest crop losses costs our economy over $1b/yr, as poorly stored crops fail to meet the stringent quality requirements of domestic processors and importing countries. Despite huge technological advancements in other sectors, storage and quality monitoring of crops is largely done using conventional means. Novel rapid, accurate, and cost-effective grain quality monitoring techniques are needed to enhance or replace manual inspection and mitigate losses. There is a potential to exploit the physical and optical characteristics of grains and develop such tools in an environmentally sustainable manner. My research program aims to understand and utilize the interaction of the electromagnetic spectrum with raw and processed food materials, via spectral fingerprinting, electromagnetic imaging (EMI), and microstructural analyses, to optimize quality monitoring, grading, and processing operations. Over the next five years, my team will: (i) Model the intergranular pore structure in bulk soybeans using X-ray µCT under different levels of compaction; (ii) Propose a grain drying model for full-scale grain storage bins and validate these against the path traversed by drying fronts captured using the EMI system; (iii) Evaluate the efficacy of using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectro-microscopy to quantify the toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins) produced by grain fungi; and (iv) Seek evidence to support the hypothesis that soft X-ray spectro-microscopy (SM) can be used to unravel the micro-structural changes that occur in a grain kernel due to fungal infestation. The CFI-funded state-of-the-art infrastructure in the University of Manitoba's Grain Storage Research Laboratory uniquely enables us to conduct the proposed research program which will have a transformative impact on enhancing efficiencies in grain storage and quality monitoring in Canada and worldwide. Our goal of characterizing the intergranular pore spaces in stored bins has the potential to rewrite grain drying theories that govern the design of aeration systems. A fundamental understanding of how heat and mass transfer takes place in large bulks will lead to efficient forced-air drying systems that will bring cost savings to farmers, from lower fuel consumption to reduced grain spoilage. The optical method of detecting fungi and mycotoxins will help provide grain inspectors with tools to detect incipient infestations in real-time, offering importers and consumers a safe supply of high-quality Canadian grains. I am equally committed to elevate the profile of underrepresented groups in primary agriculture and provide my HQP with skills that are highly coveted by Canadian agri-food industries, to help create a skilled workforce that demographically mirrors our society.