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The reserves of non-renewable energy sources such as coal, crude oil and natural gas are not limitless, they gradually get exhausted and their price continually increases. In this work, we explored the use of a bomb calorimeter to determine the calorific values of coconut branches as an alternative source of energy. In this work, we explored the use of bomb calorimeter to determine the calorific values of coconut branches as a source of renewable energy. The calorific values of dried coconut branches were determined by using the bomb calorimeter along with the data of moisture content. The calorific values were noticed to be indirectly proportional to the moisture content. The calorific values (kJ kg-1 ) of the sample as a function of the moisture content is correlated with correlation coefficient (R² ) was 0.96. Ten out of fifteen samples collected were observed to have moisture content in the range of 10% to 30%. With these moisture contents, the amount of calorific values found were in the range of 14-16 MJ kg-1 which show its importance and practicality as a source of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of moisture content on some physical properties of bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) nut was studied at four moisture levels in the range of 7.52%-20.6% (d.b). Results showed that the length, width and thickness of nut increased from 37.84 to 50.16 mm, 30.23 to 42.62 mm and 19.25 to 28.15 mm respectively, as moisture content increased in the above range. Nut sphericity decreased from 76.2% to 69.5% as moisture content increased. One thousand seed weight, bulk density, true density and angle of repose increased from 6.634 to 9.158 kg, 756.7 to 1095 kg m-3, 984.4 to 1265.8 kg m-3 and 25.3 ° to 38.9° respectively, in the above moisture range. Static coefficient of friction on different surfaces increased in the order of fiber glass (0.278 to 0.394), metal sheet (0.478 to 0.499) and plywood (0.577 to 0.602) as moisture content increased. Regression analysis showed that all properties followed a linear trend with moisture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental equilibrium moisture content of yam (Dioscorea rotundata; cultivar: Dente) at temperatures of 25°C and 50°C were determined at relative humidity from 0% to 95% employing the dynamic vapor sorption analyzer. Wet yam samples with about 68% initial moisture content were used, first for desorption and subsequently for sorption. Water activity decreased with increased temperature at constant equilibrium moisture content. The desorption and adsorption isotherms were fitted by the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB), Henderson, Halsey, Oswin, Smith, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Peleg models. On the basis of the fit the Peleg, GAB and Oswin models were most suitable for describing the observed data. When the focus is on drying, the GAB (3 parameters) and empirical Peleg model (4 parameters) performed best. Of these, GAB is preferable because it has fewer parameters, which, moreover, have a physical meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to develop a ginger peeling machine which can peel the outer skin of ginger with less mass loss. Machine and product parameters for the developed ginger peeler were optimized. Fresh gingers with moisture content 87.47% and pre-treated at 1% NaOH solution exhibited highest peeling efficiency (70.20%), followed by hot water soaking and overnight soaking. At constant moisture content, reverse trend was observed for mass loss. The highest mass loss of about 4.13% was seen with hot water soaked samples, followed by overnight soaking and NaOH treatment. Gingers with 87.47% moisture content and pre-treatment at 1% NaOH solution exhibited maximum peeling efficiency. The optimimum peeling efficiency was 66.62% for the ginger having 79.28% moisture contant treated with NaOH (70°C, 10 min). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cashew nut centrifugal shelling machine was designed and constructed. Shelling efficiency and whole kernel recovery were evaluated for hot-oil roasted nuts on the machine. The design was based on the principle of the optimum kinetic energy that could break the cashew nut shell. The deformation energy used was 4.8763 J. The angular velocity of the impeller calculated from the energy was 376.12 r s-1 which was equal 3592 r min-1. The motor power used was more than 917.34 W, the minimum power requirement. The prototype of cashew nut sheller was constructed and evaluated for its shelling efficiency (SE) and whole kernel recovery (WKR) using three levels of moisture content (7.00% w.b., 8.46% w.b. and 9.83% w.b.), three levels of impeller speeds and three grades (large, medium and small) of nut sizes. The results showed that the moisture content had a significant effect (at P<0.05) on the SE and WKR for all the grades of the nut. However, the impeller speed has a significant effect on the whole kernel recovery of medium and small nuts. The predicted optimal values of the WKR and SE for large nut were 65.4% and 96.8% respectively at 3110 r min-1 and 9.06% w.b. For medium nut, they were 51.62% and 93.24% respectively at 3487 r min-1 and 8.92% w.b. For small nut, they were 37.95% and 92.56% respectively at 3487 r min-1 and 9.83% w.b. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparative analysis of the effect of hermetic storage models on some quality parameters of soybean seeds was studied. Freshly harvested soybean pods were depodded and the seeds were sundried at 33°C with an average relative humidity of 62% for three days. The seeds were then divided into three portions of 400 g and each portion was put into different storage models which were PVC bags of 400 g, jars of 1 L capacity and another jar (perforated) of 1 L capacity which served as the control. The initial quality parameters of the soybean seeds were determined, while the storage models and control were kept for eight weeks. Samples in each storage model and control were analyzed for proximate composition and other quality parameters at the end of every two weeks. The data obtained were analyzed statistically to determine the effect of hermetic storage models on the nutritional properties together with some quality parameter such as dry matter and hectolitre weight of the stored soybean seeds. Results for the nutritional properties showed that the raw soybean seeds consisted of 8.36% moisture, 15.23% fat, 6.12% ash, 5.18% fibre, 44.18% protein and 20.94% carbohydrate. The values for dry matter and hectolitre weight were 91.63% and 72.30 hl kg-1 respectively. The moisture content, carbohydrate and hectolitre weight of the soybean seeds increased significantly (P<0.05) in the control, while crude fat, crude fibre, ash content, crude protein and dry matter decreased. For that of the bag and jar, the carbohydrate, hectolitre weight and the dry matter of the soybean seeds increased significantly (P<0.05) while the crude fibre, fat, ash, crude protein and moisture content decreased. Thus, the hermetic storage models had effect on some of the nutritional parameters of the stored soya bean samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asteriscus graveolens is a medicinal and aromatic plant which has been used to treat several diseases. Moisture equilibrium data of the plant leaves were determined by using the gravimetric static method at 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C for water activity (aw) ranging from0.057 to 0.898. A hysteresis effect was observed. The experimental data of sorption were fitted by eight models (GAB, BET, Henderson-Thompson, modified-Chung Pfost, Halsey, Oswin, Peleg, and Adam and Shove). The Halsey and Peleg models were the most suitable models for estimating sorption isotherms curves. The net isosteric heats of desorption and adsorption of A. graveolens leaves were calculated by applying the Clausius-Clapeyron equation to the sorption isotherms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to investigate some physical properties of celery seed at various moisture levels. The average length, width, thickness and 1000-seeds mass were 0.571, 0.429, 0.295 mm and 0.792 g, respectively, at moisture content of 5.24% (d.b). Length, width and thickness distributions of the seeds were modeled using Generalized Extreme Value, lognormal and Weibull distributions. Results showed that to model length of the seeds, lognormal distribution had the best performance while to model the width of the seeds Weibull distribution had the best performance. True density has increase from 892.02 to 931.42 kg/m3 when the moisture content increased from 5.24% to 20.25% (d.b). The angle of static friction increased from 28.45 to 39.66°, 25.15 to 34.84°, 19.57 to 27.07° and 16.72 to 19.720° for plywood, rubber, iron and galvanized metal, respectively, as the moisture content increases from 5.24% to 20.25% (d.b). The pouring angle of repose increased from 34.70 to 39.12°, 33.37 to 36.37°, 30.59 to 33.33° and 27.16 to 29.45° for plywood, rubber, iron and galvanized metal, respectively, as the moisture content increases from 5.24% to 20.25% (d.b). The Hele-Shaw angle of repose increased from 32.65 to 35.25°, 30.35 to 32.77°, 27.81 to 30.03° and 24.72 to 26.61° for plywood, rubber, iron and galvanized metal, respectively, as the moisture content increases from 5.24% to 20.25% (d.b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white mulberry is a native fruit to China. The white mulberry as a fruit with high water content and sensitive texture, is a perishable fruit with high-level waste. To reduce the losses of the white mulberry, it used to be processed traditional dried fruit and mulberry molasses. The purpose of this study was to determine chemical and physical properties of white mulberry molasess made up of different cultivars, neutralizers and concentration methods. Two examples of cultivars were Bokhara and Khardar mulberry (local cultivars), two neutralizing compounds were white soil (traditionally special soil can be used as neutralization) and calcium carbonate, the concentration conditions were concentration under vacuum conditions and concentration under atmospheric pressure to achieve the desired final concentration (70°Brix). The experimental design was factorial in the frame of completely randomized design which was performed in three replications. The results showed that the neutralization and concentration methods had significant effects on acidity, pH and color (L*, a*, b* indexes). The selected sample for preparing mulberry molasses was the concentration of Bokhara mulberry in vacuum condition with calcium carbonate as neutralizing agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compost compression processes, such as pelleting, increase bulk density, improve storability, reduce transportation costs and make easier materials handling using existing equipment for handling and storage of grains. It is important to prevent quality deterioration of pellets in long time storage. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the moisture content of the pellets to less than 20% or less. In this research the drying kinetics of compost pellets were studied at air temperatures of 50°C, 60°C and 70°C, air velocities of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m/s, particle sizes of 1.18 and 2 mm and pellet diameters of 6 and 8 mm. The maximum effective moisture diffusivity (1.78?10-9 m²/s) was obtained at air velocity of 1.5 m/s, air temperature of 70°C, particle size of 1.18 mm and pellet diameter of 8 mm. The activation energy of compost pellets varied from 25.88 to 57.4 kJ/mol under different conditions. The Page model was selected as the most suitable model, based on the statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive review of the fundamental theories governing the drying process is presented. The development of models of drying of agricultural products for thin layer and deep bed drying are discussed. The factors affecting drying and the biochemical changes which happen during drying are listed. Importance of moisture diffusion and activation energy consumption for modeling and optimizing the drying processes are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oilseeds have an important role in edible oil production. Moisture content measurement of oilseed is an inevitable operation in harvesting and almost all postharvest processing such as handling, storage, milling and oil extraction. In this paper, a cylindrical capacitive sensor was used to predict the moisture content of sesame, soybean and canola seed as a simple, low cost, rapid and reliable method. Two varieties of each oilseed were selected and extracted equation from a variety was evaluated for another variety. The hyperbolic regression and paired t-test were utilized to extract the calibration equations and perform a comparison between predicted moisture with actual values. The R² of calibration for Dashtestan and Ultan sesame were 0.998 and 0.999, respectively, for L17 and Sahar soybean were 0.972 and 0.965, respectively and for Okapi and Talaiyeh canola were 0.993 and 0.994, respectively. The R² of prediction for Dashtestan and Ultan sesame were 0.966 and 0.932, respectively, for L17 and Sahar soybean were 0.963 and 0.952, respectively and for Okapi and Talaiyeh canola were 0.993 and 0.994, respectively. Results of paired t-test confirmed that the measured and predicted moisture content of all oilseeds were not statistically different at the 5% level (p > 0.05). Based on obtained results the designed system using capacitive sensor is valid and reliable for moisture measurement of the studied oilseeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of snake gourd (Trancosanties cucumerina L) seed have been evaluated as a function of moisture contents,6.80%, 8.60%, 12.00%, 14.00% and 17.00% (db) moisture contents. The properties investigated include one thousand mass, dimensions (length, width and thickness), sphericity, volume, true density and bulk density. The results of the experiment showed that seed length increased from 11.30±0.3 to 12.4±0.50 mm, width (from 5.60±0.30 to 6.60± 0.30 mm), thickness (from 2.0±0.25 to 2.7±0.32 mm), one thousand mass (from 110.0±5.2 to 240.0±6.5 g), geometric mean diameter (from 5.02 ± 0.61 to 6.05±0.52 mm), sphericity (from 0.44±0.05 to 0.49±0.06), volume (from 38.98±4.1to 69.68±5.2 mm³), true density (from 0.91±0.26 to 0.97±0.30) and bulk density (from 0.3360±0.022 to 0.3519±0.012). The kernel evaluated in the same range of moisture content showed length (5.20±0.67 to 6.60±0.8 mm), width (2.0±0.3 to 3.0±0.6 mm), thickness (0.30 ±0.02 to 0.70 0.041 mm),one thousand mass (60.3±3.0 to 180.4±5 g), geometric mean diameter (0.68±0.05 to 1.11±0.03 mm), sphericity (0.13±0.012 to 0.17± 0.015), volume (8.0±1.22 to 38±4.3 mm³), true density (0.7563±0.12 to 0.8052 ±0.21 g mm-3) and bulk density (0.4132±0.021 to 0.4462±0.011 g cm-3). The result of analysis shows that the effect of moisture content is significant (p<0.05) on all the properties investigated. These data will be useful in design and development of grading and separation equipment for snake gourd seed and kernel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three main dimensions of nut and kernel of almonds were measured. Then some dimensional properties of nut and kernel were calculated. Effect of the moisture content on bulk density, true density, porosity and coefficient of friction of kernels and nuts were studied. Angle of repose on iron, plywood and galvanized sheet were measured. Also in order to examine the correlation between two dimensions of kernels and nuts and correlation between one dimension of nuts and similar dimension of kernels, linear and quadratic regression were used. Length, width and thickness distributions of nuts and kernels were modeled using normal, log normal, Weibull and Generalized Extreme Value distributions. For modeling other dimensional properties, only Generalized Extreme Value was used. The estimated parameters of the PDF for three main dimensions of nuts and kernels indicated that G.E.V was best fit. With increasing moisture content of the kernels from 4.20% to 29.64% (w.b.), true density and porosity were increased from 939.629 to 1,077.428 kg m-3 and 37.704% to 57.088%, respectively; and bulk density was decreased from 585.350 kg m-3 to 462.343 kg m-3 . When the moisture content of the nuts increased from 4.03% to 28.13% (w.b.), true density and porosity were increased from 1,025.124 kg m-3 to 1,149.700 kg m-3 and 38.562% to 56.55%, respectively, and bulk density was decreased from 629.81 kg m-3 to 499.532 kg m-3 . Values of coefficient of friction on all surfaces were increased with increasing moisture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) is important for modelling and planning of drying and, to select the conditions for storage of biological products. Equations for modeling water sorption isotherms have special importance in many aspects of product preservation by dehydration. In this work, desorption and absorption isotherms for Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon Balm) were determined at four different temperatures (25, 40, 50 and 60°C) by using the method recommended by the project COST 90. This method is based on maintaining a known mass of sample to an atmosphere generated by the use of saturated saline solutions until achieving the balance. The saline solutions were prepared according to DIN 50008 for a range of relative humidity between 10 and 85%. Samples of 0.5 grams of whole leaves of Melissa officinalis L. variety Citronella were placed in perforated stainless steel bins, positioned inside of tightly sealed glass containers. The weight of the samples was registered until the samples achieved balance. Experimental data were fitted using the following mathematical models: BET, GAB, Halsey, Lagmuir, Oswin, Peleg, Henderson and Chung & Pfost. Using nonlinear regression, the experimental data was fitted to the considered models. The chi-square test and the coefficient of determination were used to evaluate the fit. Halsey's model was found to be the most suitable for describing the desorption curves at the temperatures of 25°C and 40°C and BET's model was most suitable for describing the data at the temperatures of 50°C and 60°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the Poisson's ratio of two varieties of Iranian pumpkin seeds and their kernels (namely Zaria and Gaboor) was determined as a function of moisture content (4%, 7.8%, 14% and 20% d.b.), size (small, medium, large) and loading rate (2, 5, 8 and 10 mm/min). Pumpkin seeds and their kernel were quasi-statically loaded in horizontal and vertical orientations. The results showed that Poisson's ratio of pumpkin seeds and their kernels decreased with increasing moisture content for the varieties under study while it increases with increasing loading rate. Average Poisson's ratio values decreased from 0.347 to 0.267 and from 0.421 to 0.348 when the moisture levels increased from 4% to 20%, for seeds of Zaria and Gaboor varieties, respectively. Poisson's ratio values for corresponding kernels ranged from 0.252 to 0.330 and 0.345 to 0.417. When the loading rate increased from 2 to 10 mm/min, average values of Poisson's ratio increased from 0.272 to 0.420 for seeds and from 0.26 to 0.41 for kernel, respectively. Investigating the effect of size revealed that Poisson's ratio of pumpkin seeds and its kernel increased as the average size of the samples increased. Finally, values of the studied parameters play a key role in minimizing losses during hulling of pumpkin seeds. Therefore, by applying the results of this study, the cost of hulling process is reduced, or the effectiveness of this industry will be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splitting or cracking of the outer skins reduces the garlic storage life-time and its marketability. To determine the parameters which affect the mechanical properties of garlic skin, white and pink bulbs were taken for this study. Bulbs were harvested in 3 stages, namely 10, 20 and 30 days after cutting off the irrigation. Bulbs were cured in shade at 23±1°C for 2, 9, 16 and 23 days. Then, dried skins were treated for 5 days at the ambient temperature of 23°C and relative humidity (RH) of 17%, 38%, 55%, 77% and 95%. The moisture content, thickness and strength, stiffness, stress and strain at breakage were measured. Results showed that at later harvesting and during curing, moisture content, thickness and burst pressure decreased. It was revealed that the multi-directional strength reached its maximum when the skin moisture content of white ecotype and pink cultivar reached 21.28% and 31.72%, respectively. The irrigation having been cut off, the skin strength reduced rapidly after 28 days for white ecotype and 18 days for pink cultivar. The skin strain increased and consequently stiffness decreased when moisture contents were higher than 20%. Moreover, moisture content, thickness, burst pressure and strain at breakage of skins increased with the increase of incubation in relative humidity while the stress and stiffness decreased. Furthermore, pink cultivar skins as compared to white skin were broken with less force easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]