Abstract
The Knowledge of the physical properties of agricultural products has great importance for the construction and operation of equipment for drying and storage, to achieve increased efficiency in post-harvest operations. The aim was to determine and analyze the physical properties of crambe fruits during drying at different temperatures. Crambe fruits with an initial moisture content of 0.36 (decimal d.b.) which was reduced by drying at 37.0; 58.8 and 83.5 ºC and relative humidity of 29.4; 11.2 and 3.2%, respectively, to 0.09 ± 1 (decimal d.b.). At different levels of moisture contents (0.36; 0.31; 0.26; 0.21; 0.17; 0.13 and 0.09 decimal d.b.), was evaluated the intergranular porosity, the bulk density, the true density as well as the volumetric shrinkage and the fruit mass. The study was installed by the factorial 3 x 7, and three drying temperatures and seven moisture contents in a randomized design. Data were analyzed using regression. The bulk density and the true density decreases along the drying process; the volumetric shrinkage and the mass increased with lower moisture content and the intergranular porosity decreased sharply with the increasing drying temperature.
Highlights
The Crambe abyssinica is a plant of the Brassicaceae family, of Mediterranean origin and is usually used as forage for grazing, develops in different climatic conditions, from frosts typical of Recebido pelo Conselho Editorial em: 9-4-2012Aprovado pelo Conselho Editorial em: 3-4-2014Eng
It is noted that in all the drying conditions, the bulk density and the true density decreased by reducing moisture content, confirming the results by GONELI (2008) for castor fruit dried at 40 °C
According to GONELI, (2008) these variations are due to the combined effect between the presence of empty space inside the fruit and reduced contraction of its dimensions, the volume of the fruit remains practically constant, while there is a reduction of its mass during the drying. These results show that the volumetric shrinkage of the castor and crambe fruits do not follow the reduction of its mass with the drying
Summary
2014 the south of the country until hot and dry climates, such as the Brazilian Midwest. It is a culture considered potential for industrial production of biodiesel based on the characteristics of cultivation and high proportion of oil. The reduction of the moisture content of the grains directly influence changes in their physical properties during drying, so the correct determination of these characteristics is relevant for the optimization of industrial processes, study of the dynamics, design and sizing of equipment used in harvest and post-harvest operations (RESENDE et al, 2008). By reducing the water content to safe levels, inhibits the growth of microorganisms, reduces the possibility of proliferation of pest and insects, besides minimizing physical and chemical changes during storage, which contributes significantly to the loss of quality product (GONELI et al, 2011)
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