EFFECT OF SPECIMEN SIZE ON COTTON LINT MOISTURE CONTENT BY THE OVEN METHOD

Proper assessment of the moisture content (mc) of cotton lint is critical to all phases of cotton processing. Traditional methods of mc determination require multiple 20-g specimens of lint, which is more than is available on many occasions. Thus, the use of smaller specimens was considered. Cotton lint specimens of 1, 5, 10, and 20 g were taken from lots conditioned to different moisture content levels and mc determined by the oven method. Results indicated that the mean mc based on 1-g specimens was the same as that based on 20-g specimens. Based on the variance of the mc data separated by specimen size and drying time, seven 1-g specimens produced the same variance as three 20-g specimens after 1 h of oven drying. Therefore, 1-g specimens can be used for oven-based mc determination instead of 20-g specimens, consuming considerably less lint material. The procedure to determine mc based on 1-g specimens required more time and effort as well as more specimens to achieve a similar variance, so the 1-g sample procedure should only be used when material is limited.