MONITORING CHANGES IN COWPEA COLOR AND STORAGE CONDITIONS.

The optimum and safe storage treatment for cowpea and evaluate changes in quality during storage in different types of hermetic bags. Using two different pre-conditioning methods infrared heating and ultraviolet radiation compared with Non-treated on cowpea seeds before storage process. The aim of this study to discrimination of color change for Cowpea seeds were treated by FIR and ultraviolet UVC irradiation intensity, the seeds was stored in woven and hermetic bags (three & seven layers), the differences in Red color band increased from 161.3 to 197 when using the seeds that irradiated with FIR radiation and stored in 3 and 7Layers bag,, while at woven bag increased to 247.6 the differences in intensity I2 increased by using UVC radiation and stored in woven bag and the differences in R/G increased by 9.5% when using in the seeds that irradiated with FIR radiation and stored in three layers bag. the differences in Hue increased by 7.14% when using the seeds that irradiated with UVC and stored in three layers bag, The moisture content of seeds stored in woven bags increased to 14.82% in contrast with both types of hermetic bags which approached to 10.8% and 10.7% of three layers and seven layers bags respectively due to moisture absorption from surrounding air and also the released moisture due to high respiration rate of seeds and microorganisms. Seven-layer bags recorded the highest levels of Carbon dioxide concentration inside the bags which arrived at the end of storage period to 24.8%, 20.9 % and 20.5% for non- irradiated, infrared irradiated and ultraviolet irradiated bags respectively. Carbon dioxide inside the three-layer bags were to 19.7%, 16.9 % and 16.2% for the non -irradiated, infrared irradiated and ultraviolet irradiated treatments in respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]