Description and evaluation of physical and moisture‐dependent thermal properties of jack bean seeds ( Canavalia ensiformis )

Abstract

The physical and thermal properties of Jack bean seed (Canavalia ensiformis) were investigated. The physical properties were determined using standard measuring instruments, whereas the thermal properties were determined using KD2 Pro at 30°C with moisture ranging from 5% to 25%. The average mean values of 460 jack bean seeds were 18.21 mm for length, 11.96 mm for width, 8.57 mm for thickness, 12.91 mm for the arithmetic mean diameter, 12.29 mm for geometric mean diameter, 0.67 for sphericity, 406.87 mm2 for surface area, and 709.83 mm3 for volume at 7.76% moisture content. While the values for true density, bulk density, and porosity were 1.78 g/cm3, 0.68 g/cm3, and 57.42%, respectively. The specific heat ranged from 1.55 to 2.47 kJ/kgK, thermal conductivity from 0.21 to 0.47 W/mK, and thermal diffusivity from 0.25 to 0.41 × 10–7 m2/s for the same moisture content. The developed regression models were given a high coefficient of determinations. Practical applications Jack bean seed (Canavalia ensiformis), one of the tropical dry beans that have not been properly used, is now gaining potential for human and animal consumption due to its nutritional benefits. A lot of research has been done on this crop with little or no information on its thermo-physical properties. However, knowing these properties of this jack bean seed will help in selecting the necessary machine design parameters and production line quality to reduce food waste.