Manifestation of neuro‐fuzzy simulation environment for prognostication of water absorption kinetics of soybean grains in thermo‐ultrasonication‐assisted soaking process

Abstract

ABSTRACTNeuro‐fuzzy simulation of food engineering phenomena can be a supportive manner for integrated realization of compound trends of involved parameters. This article is aimed to manifest neuro‐fuzzy simulation environment for prognostication of water absorption kinetics of soybean grains in thermo‐ultrasonication‐assisted soaking process. The simulation environment was developed based on various types and numbers of input membership functions, defuzzification methods, types of output membership functions, and numbers of training cycles. Promising performance of the prominent environment guaranteed its reliability for prognostication of water absorption kinetics on the basis of numeral variables of soaking time and temperature (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60°C), and nominal variable of soaking strategy (thermic and ultrasonication [25 kHz and 360 W]). The simulation results divulged that applying both strategies of thermic and ultrasonication (thermo‐ultrasonication strategy) was more effective than individual strategy of thermic and ultrasonication in order to proliferate water absorption into the grains. However, contributory influence of the ultrasonication on water absorption was less apparent at higher soaking temperatures and it was more dominant, when soaking time augmented.Practical ApplicationsIt can be asserted that the neuro‐fuzzy simulation environment manifested and verified in this study can be practically utilized in oil extraction and seed priming process, and industrial production of some popular soybean food products (Soymilk, Okara, Tofu, Shoyu, Miso, and Natto).