ST JOSEPH, MICHIGAN— The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has initiated a project to develop a standard for the testing and performance of hermetic bags used for grain storage.
X657, Measurement and Rating of Hermetic Storage Bags—Specifications of Gas Barrier Liners, will specify the key engineering properties used in measuring and rating gas tightness—hermeticity—and strength of gas barrier liners.
Several brands of hermetic storage bags have become available commercially in Central America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Manufacturers and distributors make competing claims, often not supported by scientific data, about the performance of their products, including their hermeticity and their effectiveness in controlling biological activity. X657 will provide a common international approach for specifying the critical performance parameters, as well as for testing the performance and strength of the bags and rating liner hermeticity.
Anyone interested in participating in the development of this standard may contact Jean Walsh (walsh@asabe.org) for more information.
ASABE is recognized worldwide as a standards developing organization for food, agricultural, and biological systems, with more than 280 standards currently in publication. Conformance to ASABE standards is voluntary, except where required by state, provincial, or other governmental requirements, and the documents are developed by consensus in accordance with procedures approved by the American National Standards Institute. For information on this or any other ASABE standard, contact Scott Cedarquist at 269-932-7031, cedarq@asabe.org. A current listing of all ASABE standards projects can be found on the ASABE web site at www.asabe.org/projects.
ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Further information on the Society can be obtained by contacting ASABE at (269) 429-0300, emailing hq@asabe.org or visiting www.asabe.org/.