Every grain farmer knows the importance of drying to ensure a high-quality, market-ready end product. In fact, once harvested, cereals need to be dried in order to keep their quality unchanged over the storage period and, consequently, their commercial value.
This practice not only ensures the longevity of the crop, but also directly affects its integrity and eventual economic return.
The grain drying process: how important is it?
Grain drying is the process by which moisture is removed from grains, ensuring that they reach an optimal level for storage and sale. Water is life, of course, which is precisely why the moment it is present in the grains, conditions are created for life forms such as bacteria, fungi and molds to thrive, finding nutrients in the grain to grow and spread.
We know well how toxins and molds damage the human body, the same is true for the crop: thanks to drying we intervene as soon as possible to remove these deteriorating principles, creating the best conditions for optimal storage and processing of the grain.
In fact, freshly harvested grain contains a percentage of moisture that makes it unsuitable for long-term storage. Moisture at harvest can be highly variable, suffice it to say that in some areas of Germany and Poland corn is harvested with moisture levels around 40 percent, while in some areas of Africa moisture levels do not exceed 16-17 percent.
Through the drying process, this level is reduced to safe values of between 12 percent and 14 percent. The theory behind drying focuses on methods and technologies that ensure uniform drying, minimizing heat stress on the grain and preserving its organoleptic and nutritional qualities.
Each cereal grain has its own “anatomy”, consisting of an outer layer, called the pericarp, and an inner layer, the endosperm. During drying, it is critical to ensure that heat and balanced ventilation allow the flow of hot air to penetrate both layers evenly, ensures that the grains maintain their integrity.
Another fundamental principle in drying theory concerns the drying curve. This represents the rate at which water evaporates from the grain in relation to the temperature and humidity of the air. Once the grain is heated, the internal moisture will tend to diffuse outward. Maintaining an optimal balance between these factors is crucial to ensure uniform, quality drying.
The theory behind drying focuses primarily on the controlled diffusion of water contained in grain. This evaporation is made possible by heat input, through either the combined action of wind and sun (a less predictable and slower method), or the use of dryers that provide heat and a forced air current to accelerate evaporation.
It is crucial that the drying temperature is chosen appropriately (we discussed this within this dedicated article). It is also crucial that airflows are optimized to ensure optimal heat transfer between grain layers, as:
- Too weak airflow would not allow moisture to be evacuated from the grain.
- Air flow that is too strong would not allow the air to load up with the heat and moisture.
The drying process in both cases would be wasteful and inefficient.
To learn more about this topic, we recommend reading the following articles:
- Drying wheat tips: maximize the quality of your crop with Mecmar
- Grain cleaning process: find out how it works with Mecmar
- Crop drying: multi-grain solutions from Mecmar
Mecmar drying systems: here’s why they are the best choice for your business
In an ever-changing world, technology and innovation have become essential components in every aspect of agriculture, and grain drying is no exception. With experience and passion, the Mecmar team develops various solutions to meet the needs of agricultural entrepreneurs.
Among them, mobile dryers are the products that stand out the most for their versatility and convenience. Here’s why choosing them pays off if you have a small to medium-sized farm:
- Transportability. The mobile nature of the dryer makes it easy to move it from field to field or between different farm areas. This feature is especially useful for farms with land located in different areas.
- Compactness. While providing high performance, the Mecmar mobile dryer takes up little space, allowing optimal management even in space-constrained settings.
- Low maintenance. This type of plant is designed to minimize the need for maintenance work, ensuring continuous operation and reducing downtime.
Although the mobile dryer has these distinctive advantages, for companies that need large capacity and more permanent solutions, Mecmar also offers stationary drying plants. Designed for efficiency and durability, these plants are the ideal choice for large-scale businesses.
Conclusion…
Grain drying is a crucial process that determines the quality and integrity of the crop. Thoroughly understanding the theory behind drying and having the right technologies is essential for farmers who want to maximize the value of their grain. At Mecmar, we continuously test different drying technologies to fully understand their processes and optimize, year by year, our machines, making their use simple and effective.
Mecmar, with its wide range of drying solutions, is the best choice for your business. Would you like to learn more and evaluate with one of our experts the most suitable system to meet the needs of your reality? Contact us now.
