Effect of Storage on the Quality and Safety of Grains in Tharaka District, Kenya

The contribution of grains to food security is limited by deterioration during storage and as such it was necessary to document the effect of storage on their quality and safety. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of storage on the quality and safety of grains in Maragua and Gikingo locations, Tharaka District, Kenya. Proximate composition and aflatoxin content were used as indicators of quality and safety respectively, and their determination was done on a total of 36 samples of grains that were randomly collected from different storage methods at two time periods, two months after storage (T1) and seven months after storage (T2). The moisture content of the grains was below the maximum moisture content for safe storage of cereals and legumes