Influence of moisture content on engineering properties of two varieties of rice bean

Abstract

AbstractEngineering properties of pulses are important for seed quality understanding, designing of food processing operations and equipment. This study seeks to carefully evaluate engineering properties of green and brown rice bean varieties on different moisture content in a range of 14–34% (db). The average length, breadth, thickness, geometric mean diameter, thousand‐seed weight, true density, porosity, angle of repose, and terminal velocity significantly (p ≤ 0 .5) increased from 8.05 to 11.32 mm; 5.02 to 6.26 mm; 4.05 to 5.27 mm; and 5.45 to 7.18 mm; 127.48 to 254.86 g; 1,016.33 to 1,410.49 kg/m3; 17.61 to 58.96%; 23.41 to 36.39°; and 6.06 to 8.54 m/s, respectively, as the moisture content increased. The bulk density significantly reduced from 875.78 to 522.19 kg/m3for both varieties, whereas sphericity of green and brown rice beans showed an insignificant and significant decrease, respectively, with increasing moisture content. The hardness at an initial moisture level for green rice bean was higher in comparison to the brown variety and later on increasing the moisture level, the hardness decreased significantly for both varieties. The static regime of frictional coefficient produced similar results for both varieties, that is, maximum on wood followed by galvanized iron, mild steel, and aluminum surface.Practical applicationsRice bean production is expanding due to the increasing demand for local customers, lower prices, and excellent nutritional availability. The strategy used for harvesting, storage, and processing is still traditional and arduous to a greater extent. Nitty‐gritty data on engineering properties of rice bean is provided in this report, which is extremely helpful in the design of equipment used in harvesting operations, unit operations, and food processing operations. In this manner, the report will help to extend the production of rice bean and diminishing human drudgery.