What is milling?
Milling or processing operations vary for different grains, but the operation involves removing some of the grain and possibly grinding the grain to make it more suitable for consumption. Milling is traditionally performed manually by women pounding the grain. Commercial mills can reduce the time and labor associated with hand milling but vary widely by scale and efficiency.
What causes postharvest loss at this stage?
Improper milling can result in introduction of foreign matter and cracked and broken kernels. Foreign matter can damage machines as well, and inadequately maintained machines can damage kernels and lower yields. High moisture and inadequately cleaned grain can aggravate the situation.
How large are milling losses?
Village milling can result in 20 to 30% weight losses in rice and commercial milling losses can range from 5 to 30%. (Kiaya 2014)
What does research focus on?
Research at this stage focuses on increasing milling efficiency.
To read articles and find research about milling and postharvest losses, click here.
References: Kiaya, Victor. Post-Harvest Losses and Strategies to Reduce Them. ACF International, Jan. 2014, https://www.actioncontrelafaim.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/technical_paper_phl__.pdf.
