Effect of Storage Temperature on Rapeseed Quality

The objective of this paper was to determine the influence of storage conditions on the quality of seeds in rapeseed cultivar Bristol and hybrid Triangl, namely on the oil and free fatty acids content, which are the two most important rapeseed quality parameters. The rapeseed seeds were stored in two conditions: in storage facility with controlled atmosphere (with temperature of 10 ｰC and relative air moisture approximately 70%) and in storage facility without atmosphere control (where the air temperature and moisture varied). During a nine-month storing period, the samples’ mass was monitored monthly while oil content, free fatty acids (FFA) content and seed moisture were determined before and after storing. Storing in conditions without atmosphere control showed that the samples’ mass was increasing during the first four months, in the following three months it was decreasing, and then stagnated until the end of the storing period. Samples stored in controlled atmosphere showed variations in mass, with minor oscillations during the whole storing period, which resulted in lower FFA content in comparison with the samples stored in facilities without atmosphere control. The oil content after storing in both facilities decreased, and FFA content rose in all samples. In conclusion; storing in controlled atmosphere gave better results in terms of rapeseed quality