Postharvest losses in food grains – A Review

Grains (cereals and legumes) are universal foods that provide calories, proteins, essential minerals vitamins. They to the nutrition of many including infants children. Attack by insects microorganisms, particularly fungi, during drying, storage processing, affects quality, safety market value grains. Fungal attacks before or drying can be disastrous, effect persist throughout supply chain. Postharvest grain losses pose challenges food nutritional security, public health, developing nations' economy. structures packaging materials expected extend shelf life grains protecting them from insects, environmental factors making microenvironment unfavorable for insect microbial activities. Traditional highly inefficient in this sense associated with quality degradation. commonly used farmers, mostly countries, include granary, crib, wooden box, gunny bag polypropylene woven bag. Modern metal silo hermetic bags; they effective but unfortunately cannot afforded most farmers countries. The article reviewed postharvest management cereals legumes. Literature was gathered through a comprehensive literature review. use various traditional debated. Techniques prevention were extensively discussed, emphasis given novel technology natural insecticides. Challenges controlling also summarised. In end, research gaps identified recommendations provided about minimizing contamination losses.