CHANGES IN THE MYCOFLORA OF UK WHEAT SHIPPED TO TROPICAL REGIONS

Food-aid is a major component of food security for many countries. The integration of food-aid grain into national stocks and the maintenanc e of quality has been a neglected area of research. Losses frequently occur when food grain is shipped from temperate to tropical regions. T he water content of grain at export is often at the limit for short-te rm storage in temperate climates. When such grain is exposed to the hi gher temperatures prevailing in tropical regions its water activity (a (W)) may increase sufficiently to allow moulds to grow. Two consignmen ts of wheat, exported from the UK to Asia and Africa, were monitored i n shipboard and warehouse trials as part of a long-term investigation of the problem of mould spoilage during shipment and storage. In both trials, mycological analysis proved to be a very sensitive tool for de tecting micro-environmental changes in the grain bulk. New specificati ons, imposing stricter limits on grain water content, are suggested fo r food-aid wheat exported from the UK.