Export Quinoa: Moisture Control Guide
Quinoa that arrives dry
How to protect export quinoa from moisture, caking and mould with 750 g SECAL desiccants: placement, dose and sound loading practice.
1. The problem
Quinoa is a hygroscopic grain: it takes up and releases moisture from the air. Inside a container, roof condensation — container rain — together with the water the grain itself carries can push relative humidity up, causing caking, a musty smell, mould and even rejection of the lot at destination.
Caking
The grain clumps together and loses flow and presentation.
Mould and musty smell
At high humidity mould appears within 24 to 48 hours and leaves a musty smell.
Rejection of the lot
Mould or fungi can mean rejection or loss of food grade.
The 750 g SECAL desiccant captures the moisture in the air inside the container and holds it as a gel, keeping relative humidity below the point where the grain is damaged.
2. The product
The 750 g unit is the one most used for grain in bulk and in sacks. Anhydrous calcium chloride with starch: it absorbs more than three times its weight in water — over 2.25 kg per unit — and holds it as a gel, so nothing drips onto the cargo.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Composition | Anhydrous CaCl2 + starch |
| Absorption capacity | >300% — certificate of analysis: 307% |
| Water retained per unit | >2.25 kg |
| Format | 750 g bag, plastic-laminated back |
| Retention | Gel — does not drip |
The starch gels the absorbed water so it cannot run onto the product. Real absorption depends on humidity, temperature and voyage length.
3. Before loading
Measure — grain moisture below 12%
Check that the grain is below 12% moisture before loading. Above that it releases moisture for the whole voyage. Measure the packaging too (sacks, cartons) and the container floor (timber at or below 18–20%). Do the light test: close the doors and look for points of light that give away a leak.
Prepare — stow with room for air
Leave room for air to move between the cargo and the walls; that is where the desiccant does its work. Use a liner if the grain travels in bulk, to separate the cargo from the cold walls.
4. Placement
The SECAL 750 g unit has a plastic-laminated back, so besides hanging it you can lay it on top of the cargo like a blanket: laminated side against the product, absorbing face upwards and clear. The rule that never changes is this one — never cover the absorbing face.
Do this
- Hung from the lashing rings or the top rail
- Spread in a zigzag along the whole length
- Extra units at corners and the door area
- Or laid on top like a blanket, laminated side against the product
- Absorbing face always clear, never covered
Not this
- All piled at one end
- Crushed between the cargo
- Absorbing face covered or pressed flat
- Loading product above its target moisture
- Loading into a container with leaks
5. The dose
The dose depends on the volume, on the moisture of the grain and its packaging, on the route and on the voyage length. If you measure more moisture than usual, raise the dose.
| Container | Low risk | Medium risk | High risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft | 5 units | 6–7 units | 8 units |
| 40 ft | 8 units | 12 units | 16 units |
| 40 ft HC | 10 units | 13 units | 18 units |
750 g units. Low risk = well-dried grain, short route; medium = mixed route; high = tropical or monsoon route, or a long voyage of 30–60 days. Roughly 4–6 kg for a 20 ft and 8–12 kg for a 40 ft.
6. Frequent questions
At what moisture should quinoa be loaded?
Ideally below 12%. A wetter grain releases that moisture inside the container throughout the voyage and the desiccant has to work much harder.
Can the desiccant sit on top of the grain?
Yes. The 750 g SECAL unit has a plastic-laminated back, so it can rest on the sacks or the grain like a blanket, laminated side towards the product and absorbing face upwards. The one thing you must never do is cover the absorbing face. It can also hang from the rings or the top rail.
Why a zigzag?
So that absorption is even throughout the volume. Put them all together and the far end is left unprotected — that is where condensation appears.
How many units for a 40 ft?
Between 8 and 16 units of 750 g depending on route risk and grain moisture. Use the table as a reference and confirm with your SECAL adviser.
How many desiccants does your quinoa need?
We help you set the dose and the placement for your grain, your packaging and your route.
This guide is a reference. Confirm product, dose and placement with your SECAL adviser according to your cargo and route. SECAL technical guides · PROTEXPO S.A.C. / SECAL, Lima, Peru.