The effects of oxygen scavenging on survival of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and shelf-life of foxtail millet

Abstract

Oxygen scavenging offers an oxygen free atmosphere inside packages that could help in controlling of insects and enhance the shelf-life of the packaged grains. An experiment was carried out by packing foxtail millet rice using four different packaging materials with and without T. castaneum and oxygen absorbers to assess their effect on the shelf life of grain by reducing oxidation of fatty acids during 2017-18 at UAS, GKVK, Bangalore. Results obtained from the study revealed that in treatments with oxygen scavenger and the T. castaneum which were released initially were dead due to complete evacuation of oxygen by oxygen absorbers from within the pouches, and no insects emerged throughout the experimental period. The extent of damage to grains in the pouches with oxygen scavenger was only 1.4-1.6%, which could have been the damage that existed even before filling up the pouches. On the other hand, the pouches without oxygen scavenger, the T. castaneum damage ranged from 6.4-11.6%. Nutritional composition was relatively unaffected in the pouches containing oxygen scavenger, as compare to the pouches without oxygen scavenger.