✅ Interview with Zhaosui Grain Monitoring

"At What Temperature Does Grain in a Steel Silo Indicate Insect Infestation?"

Interviewer:
One of the most common questions from steel-silo users is this:
"At what temperature can we say the grain is infested with insects or mold? Should the alarm be triggered at 30°C? 35°C? 38°C? Or 40°C?"
To clarify this, we interviewed the CEO of Langfang Zhaosui, a leading manufacturer of grain-temperature cables and integrated steel-silo monitoring systems.

✅ Q1: Does a certain temperature value mean the grain is infested?

Zhaosui CEO:
This is a classic misunderstanding in grain storage.

The absolute temperature, by itself, cannot determine whether grain is infested or molding. What truly matters is the temperature change rate.

Many people assume "high temperature = danger," but this is not scientifically accurate. Grain deterioration is a biological and chemical process. Mold growth, insect activity, and germination all produce heat through respiration, and this heat causes temperature to rise rapidly. Therefore, a sudden increase, not a high number, is what signals a problem.

✅ Q2: Why isn't high temperature automatically dangerous?

Zhaosui CEO:
We have years of large-scale monitoring data from steel silos using Zhaosui temperature cables. Combined with scientific evidence, one fact is clear:

✅ For grain below 15% moisture (wheat, corn, rice), the dominant molds are Aspergillus species.

These include Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. ochraceus, and others.

Their behavior is counterintuitive:

• They are most active at around 20°C
• Their activity drops sharply between 30°C and 40°C

This means that a 15%-moisture grain pile at 32°C, 35°C, or even 38°C is not automatically molding, as long as the temperature remains stable. In fact, the grain is often safer at 30–40°C than at 20°C, because mold activity is significantly lower.

Thus, a fixed alarm temperature like 30°C or 35°C is scientifically misleading.

✅ Q3: So what should users monitor to determine real danger?

Zhaosui CEO:
Focus on the rate of temperature rise.

The ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) provides clear guidance:

Why?

Because these three conditions-infestation, mold growth, and germination-dramatically increase respiration, which releases heat and causes the temperature to climb quickly.

A stable high temperature may be safe; a fast-rising low temperature is dangerous.

✅ Q4: How should an advanced steel-silo monitoring system set alarms?

Zhaosui CEO:
Modern grain management should use trend-based alarms, not fixed thresholds.
A scientific alarm system should include:

1. Trend-based temperature alarms

• +4°C per week → warning
• +6°C per week → strong alarm

2. Moisture-based interpretation

• If moisture >15%, temperature rises deserve more attention
• If moisture ≤15%, stable temperatures up to 40°C are usually safe

3. Key-zone monitoring

• Upper layers
• Moisture accumulation areas
• Poor-aeration zones
• The discharge cone

This is exactly how Zhaosui's steel-silo monitoring systems are designed.

✅ Q5: Can you summarize this for ordinary users?

Zhaosui CEO:

Certainly. The simplest explanation is:

✅ "High temperature itself is not the danger-rapid temperature rise is."
✅ "Watch the trend, not the number."
✅ "A stable 35°C can be safe, while a 25°C rising by 6°C in one week is dangerous."

This is the core scientific principle behind safe grain storage.

✅ Conclusion

Grain temperature alone does not indicate infestation.

The rate of change, especially sudden increases, is the true warning sign.
For grain below 15% moisture, even 30–40°C can be relatively safe.
Zhaosui's monitoring systems incorporate international standards and trend-based alarms to help silo operators detect problems early and protect grain quality.