Le Châtelier Supports the Mitey

Noticed a little extra crunch in your cereal lately? Don't be surprised. Recent reports at the British Crop Protection Conference found that about 20 percent of cereal-based food products contain mites (at least in Britain). Mites, of course, can trigger allergic reactions, dead or alive. Le Châtelier would have known this was bound to occur.

Mites have always "sampled" the food supply. But farmers thought that Le Châtelier's principle was just a mind-numbing thought for chemistry students. They have applied organophosphate pesticides to wipe out the mites. But the system was originally at equilibrium. As time went on, the effect of the disturbance (addition of organophosphates) was minimized. That is, the mites have become resistant. This is sort of like resistant bacteria, don't you think?

Trust Le Châtelier. Forget pesticides. Mites die if the moisture content of the grain falls below 15 percent. Beetles can’t breed below 15°C. Did I forget to mention them? Crunch, crunch. So, the answer is pretty simple. Stop using organophosphates and save money. Cool the grain, dehumidify it, and reap the benefit of more crops with reduced exposure of the consumer to pesticides. This is a nice transition from insect infestation to cool cash crops and happy consumers.

References: New Scientist, November 28, 1998, p. 20.