Current status of the controlled atmosphere storage in Nigeria

Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of food crops was introduced to Nigeria in 1978 in co-operative agreement between Snamprogetti/Assoreni of Italy and the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI). Collaborative research between Assoreni and NSPRI from 1979-1981, and by NSPRI from 1982 to date on experimental, pilot, and commercial scales has shown that this technology, using nitrogen (N2), gives excellent results in preserving quality of dry grains during long-term storage under Nigeria's ambient conditions. Special features observed included the considerable reduction in moisture condensation (that leads to large-scale losses when conventional metal silos are used for grain storage in the humid tropics where there are wide diurnal fluctuations in temperature), protection of operators from hazards of toxic chemicals, absence of residues in stored crops, control of insects, reduction of fungal loads, longer retention of seed viability than in normal ambient storage, longer retention of biochemical quality, and maintenance of organoleptic characteristics of the grains during storage. Yellow maize, sorghum, rice and cowpea retained their quality after storage over four years. The technology was also shown to be effective in preserving the quality of cocoa, an oilseed and the major cash crop in Nigeria. Its possible application for groundnuts has also been initiated. Controlled atmosphere technology has now been developed to a level where it can be used commercially for long-term grain storage in Nigeria. The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 6 Number 1 (January-March 2001), pp. 30-36