Disinfestation of soft wheat by microwave

An ubiquitous pest

The rice weevil is a pest attacking many types of cereals and causing substantial losses.

Usually eradicated by fumigation, it is becoming more and more resistant, hence the need to use new solutions that are more effective and less dangerous for us and the environment.

A validation study

SAIREM commissioned ARVALIS to conduct a study on the effectiveness of weevil eradication by applying a microwave heat treatment. To do so, the institute relied on bread wheat contaminated by rice weevils at larval and adult stages.

The infected samples were treated under different modalities of microwave frequency & power, duration, containment, … in order to determine the most effective process in terms of weevil eradication.

An excellent efficiency

Most of the treatments tested led to total or almost total disinsectization of adult rice weevils and their offspring. Indeed, most of these treatments can be qualified as intensive as they led to reach 60°C at certain location of the samples.

The complete study can be shared with you, after discussions with our sales and R&D teams.

Key benefits

For your process

• No use of chemicals: organic compatible process
• Fast and repeatable process
• No modification of color nor taste

For your company

• Fully electric solutions: no emission of CO2 at the production plant
• Small footprint: no waste of valuable space