Compositional, Mass-Volume-Area Related and Mechanical Properties of Sponge Gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca) Seeds

Abstract

Some physical, mechanical and compositional properties of sponge gourd seeds were determined according to standard methods. The length, width, thickness and equivalent diameter were 9.6, 6.17, 1.59 and 4.53 mm for whole seeds and 6.99, 4.31, 0.79 and 2.84 mm for the dehulled seeds respectively. Sphericity, surface area, seed mass, bulk density, apparent density and porosity were 0.47, 0.57 cm2, 0.079 g, 0.43, 0.50 g/cm3 and 0.14 for whole seeds and 0.41, 0.33 cm2, 0.044 g, 0.57, 0.93 g/cm3 and 0.39 for dehulled seeds, respectively. Coefficient of friction against wood, aluminum, galvanized steel and mild steel surfaces were 0.50, 0.59, 0.64 and 0.70 for the whole seeds and 0.55, 0.66, 0.67, and 0.76 for the dehulled seeds, respectively. Sponge gourd seeds contain 33.38 and 39.11 g of protein and fat per 100 g of sample, respectively, the fat being largely made up of 50.1% linoleic and 31.03 % stearic acids.