The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality of RR and RR2 soybean cultivars submitted to different drying temperatures and storage conditions in real scale and experimental. In the real scale, the soybean lots evaluated were divided into: dry soybeans (RR and RR2), dry soybeans in the cooperative's drying unit (80, 100, and 120 C), and moist soybean grains, without distinction of the cultivars. The batches of dried grains were subjected to storage for a period of 2 months. In laboratory experiment, after drying (35, 45, and 45 C), the soybean samples were stored in cold rooms under controlled temperature conditions (10 and 20 C) and evaluated in storage periods of 0, 30 and 60 days. It was concluded that the anticipated harvest of soybean lots submitted to artificial drying obtained better quality results. The conditions applied in drying and storage infers the physicochemical quality of the grains according to the type of soybean cultivar.The drying of soybean lots at 35 C and stored at 10 C temperature conditions obtained better physicochemical quality. The soybean lots of RR cultivar maintained higher levels of protein and lipids after drying and storage processes.
Practical applicationsAdopting more suitable drying and storage conditions for soybean cultivars processed in storage units facilitates the management of grain mass throughout the processes, reducing quanti-qualitative grain losses and postharvest grain flow logistic problems.
| INTRODUCTIONThe main purpose of soybean production is to export raw material to countries in Europe and Asia, in addition to the production of oils and meal for human consumption, animal feed production, and biofuel. Therefore, it is necessary to meet the quality standards of the grains established by the consumers, mainly the quality standards of international marketing. In this way, it is up to the postharvest stages to maintain the physical-chemical quality of the product coming from the crop until the moment of its processing. In the postharvest process, although drying is a fundamental operation to reduce grain water contents in order to provide a safe storage, this process can attack the physical-chemical structure of the grains, causing quality losses