Efficacy of Zerofly Hermetic and Polypropylene Storage Bags for Conservation of Maize in Layer Poultry Farms in Ghana

Maize forms a key component in poultry feed formulation in Ghana. Nonetheless, there is an existing challenge of low-quality maize due to insect infestation and mycotoxin contamination resulting in poor chicken growth and performance including diminished egg laying. This study compared the effectiveness of ZeroFly® Hermetic (ZFH) storage bags to polypropylene (PP) bags to mitigate insect pest and mycotoxin levels over a 6-month storage period. The study was conducted in threelayer poultry farms in Dormaa Ahenkro, Bono Region, Ghana. One storehouse was used in each poultry farm. In each storehouse, there were thirty-two 100-kg-capacity ZFH and same number of 100-kg PP bags, each containing 100 kg of maize, that is, altogether sixty-four 100-kg-capacity bags in each storehouse. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design with two treatments (ZFH and PP bags), three replications (storehouses), and two sub-replications. In each storehouse, two bags in each treatment were destructively sampled monthly. After 6 months of storage, the predominant insects found were Sitophilus spp. and Sitotroga cerealella, and a larger mean number of insects (live and dead) per 500-g sample was found in the PP bags (149.67 ± 8.67), compared to ZFH bags; 4.67 ± 0.73. The percentage of insect damaged kernels after 6 months was significantly higher in PP bags (67.67 ± 2.62) than ZFH bags (5.00 ± 0.50). Weight loss in the PP bags was > 30%, compared to < 0.3% in ZFH bags. Aflatoxin and fumonisin levels of maize in both types of bags were below the recommended safe threshold of 15 ppb and 4 ppm, respectively. The moisture content of maize in ZFH bags was maintained over the 6-month period whereas that of maize in PP bags increased. Also, crude protein, crude fat, and carbohydrate levels in maize were higher in ZFH bags than PP bags. Data showed ZFH bags conserved maize quality better than the PP bags thereby making maize wholesome for food and feed. Further research to compare the growth and performance of layer poultry in terms of egg laying related to diets of feed from maize stored in ZHF and PP bags is recommended.