Available carbohydrates of cereal grains as affected by storage and insect infestation.

Total soluble sugar, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and starch contents of wheat, maize and sorghum grains were affected adversely at 25, 50 and 75% insect infestation caused by Trogoderma granarium Everts and Rhizopertha dominica Fabricius, separately and mixed population. R. dominica caused significant (P < 0.05) reduction in available carbohydrates at 50 and 75% infestation levels whereas T. granarium achieved similar effect at 75%. Mixture of both insect species caused intermediate losses. Storage of cereal grains up to 4 months resulted in substantial increase in sugars and decrease in starch content, but storage for a shorter period of time did not cause any significant changes in levels of carbohydrates.