Solar air heating module for disinfestation of foodgrains

A simple flat prate solar air heating module using cheap materials like the rmocol and aluminium sheet was developed for insect disinfestation of foodg rains, as this could be considered as a novel approach for preserving food materials, especially in developing countries like India, where plenty of s unshine is available throughout the year. During the sunny days, air temper ature of 65 degreesC-75 degreesC, which is sufficient to kill all insect st ages can be obtained by keeping the device on the terrace of the experiment al station. The utility of the solar device for insect disinfestation of fo odgrains was demonstrated by exposing artificially infested mung bean grain s for a period of 90 min. The exposure time was found to be sufficient to k ill all the stages of Callosobruchus maculatus feeding inside the mung bean grains. The exposure of the seeds to this temperature for given experiment al time had no effect on germination.