Food Protection Trends - January/February 2022 - 29

Physical hazards, including stones, field trash, extraneous
vegetative matter, and metal, may be present in raw pulses.
However, combining (harvesting) equipment removes much
of these materials during harvest. Screening equipment,
typically used just before packing, also may be used to remove
such materials.
FOOD HAZARD CONTROLS IN STORAGE
FACILITIES
Storage of pulses is accomplished through grain elevators.
Equipment such as dump pit drag chains, augers, grain transfer
legs, and bins must be maintained in a dry state to prevent
mold and bacterial growth. Some storage facilities also may
use aeration to further dry incoming crops. Aeration bins are
commonly used for lentil drying in Canada (1).
Storage facilities should have adequate sanitation and pest
exclusion procedures to protect stored product. An integrated
pest control program for rodents will typically include
external bait stations and internal mechanical traps to prevent
activity from rats and mice at elevators and surrounding
areas. Facilities are swept and vacuumed to control foreign
materials, dust, decomposed pulses, and product buildup
that could result in insect activity. Food facility pesticides
approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) are used to control insect infestations in the elevator,
such as diatomaceous earth. In the event infestations occur,
silos may be fumigated with phosphine gas at approved
labeled rates. Cyfluthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide that also
may be applied to empty grain bins as a control against insect
activity (13).
Pulse elevators using best practices also undergo routine
maintenance to further protect product. Equipment should
receive preventive maintenance, and any damage should be
repaired regularly.
During the transfer of pulses to storage facilities, product is
sampled and inspected by trained personnel from the USDA
Federal Grain Inspection Service (Fig. 12). A USDA grading
system, based on published standards for pulses, is used to
inspect both raw product from growers and also product
after it has been stored, cleaned, and packed. Once product is
sampled and inspected, USDA issues grade certificates. These
USDA grade inspections evaluate some food safety product
attributes, including presence of foreign materials (e.g., stones,
glass, metal, dirt, weed seeds) and insect infestation. For
example, a US #1 grade for chickpeas mandates not more than
0.5% foreign material and not greater than 0.2% stones (17).
FOOD HAZARD CONTROLS USED DURING
CLEANING, PACKING, OR PACKAGING
After storage of raw pulses, they are cleaned and packed
for shipment to food processors. The cleaning process serves
to remove product defects, chips, seed split pieces, hulls, and
foreign materials that entered the product flow from harvest
through storage. In addition, product is sorted by size and color
to meet quality standards and USDA specifications. Graded
out residues, along with seed coats, are important cleaning byproducts
that may be sold as animal or pet food ingredients.
Equipment used to remove foreign materials in pulses
includes aspirators, screen cleaners, gravity tables, destoners,
and optical sorters. High-velocity air may be used to remove
field trash that includes stems, leaves, pods, seed coats, and
other plant material that is lighter than beans (15). Screening
takes out oversized and undersized materials, such as small or
large seeds, splits, stones, and mud balls. Optical sorters can
be used as a final cleaning step to remove discolored beans
and other grains. Extraneous or " tramp " metal is controlled
through the use of magnets, and in some cases, metal detectors
are used during packing or packaging.
January/February Food Protection Trends
29
Food Protection Trends - January/February 2022

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