Effects of Different Wholesale Packaging Materials on the Shelflife of Dehusked Foxtail Millet
Pooran Pragnya *
College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur, India.
P. F. Mathad
College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur, India.
Ravi Kumar
College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur, India.
Vikas Jha
College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Millets are group of highly variable small seeded grasses widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. The present investigation was carried out to find out the effect of different wholesale packaging material on the shelf-life of dehusked foxtail millet. The foxtail millet was procured at local Raichur market. For wholesale packaging (5 kg) Gunny Bag without Lining, Gunny Bag with Lining, Cloth Bag and Nylon Bag were selected. The dehusked foxtail millet packed in different packaging material was kept for storage and studied for 6 months. Quality analysis and insect infestation were checked regularly at the interval of 1 month. Finally, it was concluded that for wholesale packaging Gunny bag with poly ethylene lining was found to be best, based on its improved quality parameters and minimized insect infestation and also to prevent the damages due to insects and nutrient losses.
Keywords: Foxtail millet, physical properties, biological properties and insect infestation