Kernel Moisture Content Research Articles

Genetic variability, heritability, and correlation of hybrids maize agronomy characters adaptive to dry land, medium plains

The selection of hybrid maize plants that adapt to dry land in the medium plains is very important considering the very widely available such land in Indonesia, so the existence of adaptive varieties is needed. Information on agronomic characters of adaptive hybrid maize is the basic information for character selection to make the breeding program more effective. The study aims to determine the genetic variability, heritability, and correlation of hybrid maize agronomic characters tested in dry land of medium plains. The genetic material used 22 maize hybrids, arranged in randomized block design with 3 replications. The experiment was carried out in Polewali Mandar Regency, West Sulawesi from June to September 2021. The results showed the characters that were strongly influenced by the environment were ear position height, stem diameter, male and female flowering time, and shelling percentage. The characters of stem diameter, male and female flowering time, and shelling percentage can be used for selection characters in the advanced generations. The characters that had significantly positively correlated with yield characters were plant height, leaf width, ear diameter, harvested ear weight, and weight of 1000 kernels, while the character that had negatively correlated with yield was kernel moisture content.

Design, Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of Mixed-Mode Solar Tunnel Dryer for Buffalo Meat by Forced Convection

In the context of Nepal, the consumption, as well as preservation of meat products, has been in practice for ages. The primitive approach - open sun drying technique- a technique for preserving meat for longer, can contaminate the meat. In addition, the meat in direct contact with UV rays also degrades the quality of meat which may not be suitable for consumption. Exposing the meat to the open air causes the evaporation of its moisture, leading to a decline in flavour and an extended duration for the dehydration of the meat product. The alternative technique - mixed mode solar tunnel dryer - is a revolutionary method to undertake the challenges, which uses both solar heated air and direct solar energy. This paper majorly includes the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a solar mixed-mode tunnel dryer by forced convection for buffalo meat. The purposed system was designed for drying 4 kg of meat for humid sub-tropical climatic conditions with an estimated design drying time of 7 hrs 44 mins. The designed system includes a collector of area 2 m2, a drying chamber, and a DC fan. The recorded parameters were incident solar irradiance, air temperature, relative humidity of the air, and moisture content of meat at equal intervals. Reducing the moisture content in buffalo meat to 26.78% by weight in the month of November, took a total of 14 hrs with maximum collector efficiency of 29.79%.

Comparison of the blood parameters with the chemical composition of the muscle tissue of meat-and-egg chicken

Basic blood and muscle tissue parameters have been analyzed in crossbred male Russian White and Cornish hens (♂, RW x CORN, n=95, slaughtered at 63 days of age). According to BW at slaughter, males (n=95) were divided into 3 groups (group 1–1,000–1,799 g, n=31; group 2–1,800–2,099 g, n=28; group 3–2,100–2,650 g, n=36). It has been found that with an increase in the live weight at slaughter, the ratio of albumin to globulin (p=0.038), aspartate aminotransferase (p=0.003) increased in the serum of birds; the levels of globulins (p=0.05), glucose (p=0.02), Ca (p=0.006), Mg (p=0.05) decreased. With increasing BW, the crude protein content in thigh muscle decreased (p=0.019) against a trend towards increasing moisture content in thigh meat (p=0.058). Comparative assessment of biochemical blood parameters of nitrogen, carbohydrate-lipid, mineral metabolism, antioxidant protection parameters, some clinical blood parameters (hematocrit, erythrocytes and hemoglobin) and chemical composition of the breast and thigh muscle tissue has been carried out. The analysis (Pearson correlation coefficients) has revealed patterns between the concentration of some blood metabolites and the composition of muscle tissue in males. Thus, the accumulation and analysis of data on resource genetic populations is of interest for science and practice in order to establish relationships between blood parameters and the quality of chicken products, as well as to identify biomarkers for predicting poultry productivity in vivo.

Influence of ozone gas on the khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in stored wheat

Khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts, 1898 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) is one of the most notorious pests of stored grains. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ozone against 2nd and 5th instars and adults of T. granarium in stored wheat kernels under laboratory conditions. Four ozone concentrations of 300, 600, 900, and 1200 parts per million by volume (ppmv) were used. The results revealed that the LC50 values were 249.76 ppmv for adult, 446.75 ppmv for 5th instar, and 275.30 ppmv for 2nd instar of T. granarium after 2 h exposure to ozone. No adults emerged when the ozone concentration was 1200 ppmv, while emergence was high in controls (91.20%) after a 1-h exposure period. The highest ozone concentration of 1200 ppmv resulted in strong grain protection against adult and 2nd and 5th instars, with a 0.63%, 0.73%, and 1.16% loss in grain weight, respectively. Chemical analysis of treated wheat kernels at a concentration of 1200 ppmv ozone showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in fat, moisture, ash, carbohydrate, fiber, and protein content of ozone-treated wheat kernels compared to untreated grain. Thus, ozone can be effectively used to control T. granarium and provides sufficient protection for stored wheat.

Detection of protein, starch, oil, and moisture content of corn kernels using one-dimensional convolutional autoencoder and near-infrared spectroscopy.

Analysis of the nutritional values and chemical composition of grain products plays an essential role in determining the quality of the products. Near-infrared spectroscopy has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years due to its advantages in the analysis process. However, preprocessing and regression models in near-infrared spectroscopy are usually determined by trial and error. Combining newly popular deep learning algorithms with near-infrared spectroscopy has brought a new perspective to this area. This article presents a new method that combines a one-dimensional convolutional autoencoder with near-infrared spectroscopy to analyze the protein, moisture, oil, and starch content of corn kernels. First, a one-dimensional convolutional autoencoder model was created for three different spectra in the corn dataset. Thirty-two latent variables were obtained for each spectrum, which is a low-dimensional spectrum representation. Multiple linear regression models were built for each target using the latent variables of obtained autoencoder models. R2, RMSE, and RMSPE were used to show the performance of the proposed model. The created one-dimensional convolutional autoencoder model achieved a high reconstruction rate with a mean RMSPE value of 1.90% and 2.27% for calibration and prediction sets, respectively. This way, a spectrum with 700 features was converted to only 32 features. The created MLR models which use these features as input were compared to partial least squares regression and principal component regression combined with various preprocessing methods. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method has superior performance, especially in MP5 and MP6 datasets.

Effect of Adding Linseed Oil to The Diet on The Chemical Composition and Some Fatty Acids of Awassi Sheep Meat Chilled and Frozen


 This study was conducted at the experimental farm, Department of Animal Production , College of Agriculture , University of Tikrit for the period from 7/10/2018 to 15/12/2018. Sixteen Awassi lambs with an average body weight of 27kg and aged about 6—7-months were used in this investigation. The lambs were randomly assigned into four groups. Each group has 4 lambs the lambs were placed in individual cages (1 x 1.5 m².) and the aim of this study to investigation the effect of supplementing linseed oil on chemical composition and some fatty acids of Awassi chilled and frozen sheep meat,the results showed high significant differences in frozen period in moisture content of meat compared with chilled period it was ( 70.90 and 66.82)% respectively , and the chilled period conducted high significant differences than the frozen period in fat content ( 9.39 and 8.15)% respectively. About the effect of linseed oil on fatty acids, frozen period conducted high significant differences in Oleic it was 33.59 % while the frozen period conducted a high significant differences in Linoleic and Arachidonic acids it was ( 4.88 and 1.19)% respectively. The interaction between chilled period and treatments, the first and second treatment conducted high significant differences on Oleic acid also first treatment was high in Linoleic Acid percentage. While for the interaction between frozen period and treatments, the fourth treatment was high in Oleic and Linolenic Acid percentage, the first treatment was high in Linoleic Acid percentage it was (5.22)%.

Experimental Analysis of Drying Conditions’ Effect on the Drying Kinetics and Moisture Desorption Isotherms at Several Temperatures on Food Materials: Corn Case Study

This work studied the effect of external conditions on the drying kinetics of a thin layer of corn during convective drying. The density and the specific volume of the corn grain were reported and the desorption isotherms of the corn were determined at three temperatures and for a water activity from 0.1 to 0.9 using the static gravimetric method. Initially, a thin layer of corn about 7 mm thick with an initial moisture content of 45% (d.b) was investigated, and the external conditions were tested. Afterwards, a comparison between the experimental convective drying of a packed bed and a thin layer was performed under the same conditions. Finally, the values of equilibrium moisture contents, water activities and temperatures obtained were fitted using seven sorption models. It was found that the experimental desorption data exhibited type II behavior, according to Brunauer’s classification. The GAB model was found as the most suitable semi-empirical model which was well suited to represent the desorption equilibrium moisture content of corn kernels in the suggested ranges of temperature and water activity. It can be concluded from the entropy–enthalpy compensation theory that the desorption process of the corn kernels is controlled by the enthalpy mechanism.

Phase states of moisture content in different maize kernel types

Accurate determination of the moisture content in maize kernels conduces to screen maize germplasm materials with efficient dehydration. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) single-kernel non-destructive testing technology was used to determine the moisture content at different phase states in the kernels for selected types of maize. The T2 relaxation inversion spectrum was monitored in maize kernels to determine the variation in the moisture content in different phase states with time. The total water and free water peaked at the filling stage of the maize kernels and then declined to a minimum at physiological maturity. The semi-bound water generally increased to a long-lasting peak in the dough stage and then declined. The bound water increased from kernel formation to maturity and then remained stable. The contents of total water, free water, semi-bound water, and bound water had significant differences among kernel types but not among varieties of the same type. The contents of semi-bound water and free water were linearly correlated with the dehydration rates of the kernels. The results of this study can provide a means for creating new germplasm materials. Keywords: Maize (Zea mays L.), LF-NMR, moisture phase state, kernel type, dehydration rate DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20231601.7898 Citation: Li N, Xu T Y, Hao N. Phase states of moisture content in different maize kernel types. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2023; 16(1): 250–259.

Formulation of diets for slow-growing broilers slaughtered at different ages on carcass characteristics and composition of commercial cuts.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of a diet formulated with industrial amino acids and a commercial vitamin-mineral mixture on the characteristics of carcass and meat cuts of slow-growing broilers slaughtered at different ages. The experiment involved 600 one-day-old male and female white Naked Neck chicks. The chicks were allotted randomly to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement consisting of two diets and three slaughter ages, in a completely randomized experimental design with five replicates of 20 birds each. The experimental period was 84 days. Six chicks were selected and slaughtered on the first day, and then at 56, 70 and 84 days of age 10 birds unit was selected and slaughtered per experimental period. Weight and yield of carcass, abdominal fat and breast, thigh and drumstick meat were determined. Additionally, moisture, protein, fat and mineral matter contents and protein and fat deposition in the breast, drumstick and thigh muscles were determined. The diet did not influence the yields of carcass, abdominal fat, or meat cuts or the nutritional composition of meat. Slaughter age influenced the yields of breast and thigh meat and abdominal fat; the protein content of breast meat; and the moisture, crude protein, fat, and mineral matter contents of drumstick and thigh meat. There was an interaction effect between diet and slaughter age for protein deposition in breast meat. The age factor influenced fat deposition in the drumstick muscles. Protein deposition in the thigh muscles was influenced by the diet. Moreover, a difference was observed between the ages for protein and fat deposition in the thigh muscle. In conclusion, the use of a commercial mixture in the diet results in decreased protein deposition in the breast and thigh muscles, although this difference does not affect the characteristics of carcass or meat cuts. Birds slaughtered at 70 days exhibit similar carcass characteristics to those of birds slaughtered at 84 days, indicating the possibility of an earlier slaughter age.

Hozat Apricot Kernel: Pomological and Physicochemical Properties with Comparation of Apricot Kernel Varieties Harvested in Turkiye

Apricot is a fruit demanded and consumed in a variety of ways by consumers. Apricot fruit has a kernel inside of it. Due to limited knowledge of bioactive compounds, apricot kernels were predicted as a food waste in the past, and they had no economic value. Awareness as to nutrition and bioactive compounds increased recently, the idea has emerged that apricot kernel is as healthy as its fruit, therefore science research has focused on examining bioactive properties of fruit kernels. In this study, sweet and bitter apricot kernel varieties harvested in 2022 were used. The sweet apricot kernel varieties used in this study were Hasanbey (Malatya), Savak (Igdir), Alyanak (Isparta) and Hozat sweet; the bitter apricot kernel varieties were Hozat bitter and Zerdali (Malatya). Pomological and physicochemical properties of Hozat apricot kernels, compared with other apricot kernels harvested in Turkiye, were performed. As pomological properties, weight of seed, weight of kernel and seed-to-kernel weight ratio were investigated. Moisture content, ash content, acidity (pH), protein content, oil content and total phenolic content of apricot kernels were also determined. The effect of the variety variable on pomological and physicochemical properties of the apricot kernel were evaluated using the SPSS 29 program. Overall, it was found that the variety variable had a significant effect on pomological and physicochemical properties of apricot kernels. It means each apricot kernel variety has its unique pomological and physicochemical properties.

POSTHARVEST QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF NUTMEG (Myristica fragrans)

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) or fragrant nutmeg is an important commodity that has been used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, hence its quality should be monitored. The objectives of this study were to: 1) identify Critical Control Points (CCP) in nutmeg’s postharvest handling process and prepare nutmeg HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) System and 2) provide a recommendation on GHP (Good Handling Practices) of nutmeg in order to maintain its quality in relation to food safety issue which is very important for international trade. Ripe fruits of nutmeg were collected after the fruits had reached maturity and fallen from their trees. A paranet was placed under each nutmeg tree to prevent the ripe nutmeg fruits from falling on the ground. The subsequent processes were taking out the nutmeg seeds from the fruits and separating the nutmeg seeds from the pulps and maces. After that, the nutmeg seeds underwent the drying process by using the smoke- and oven-dried methods until the moisture content of the nutmeg seeds was reduced by 10%. Subsequently, the nutmeg seeds were divided into two parts, prior to the storing process. The first part was fumigated by using phosphine (2 g/m3) for eight days and the second part was not fumigated. The sampling of nutmeg seeds was conducted at the beginning of storage and after four months of storage. The parameters observed were moisture content, percentage of damaged kernels, the population of each fungal species, and aflatoxin content. The results showed that moisture content, fungal population, aflatoxin B1, and total aflatoxin contents of nutmeg kernels having been dried by using the smoke- and oven-dried methods with and without fumigation still complied with the requirements related to food safety, although the nutmegs were stored for four months. The results of this research could also determine the Critical Control Point (CCP) in the postharvest handling process of nutmegs, i.e., 1) choosing only ripe nutmeg fruits to be harvested; 2) harvesting method by preventing the ripe nutmeg fruits from falling on the ground; 3) drying process of nutmeg seeds should be conducted immediately after separating the nutmegs from the maces by using the smoke- or oven-dried methods; and 4) nutmeg seeds were stored with the shells.

Study on the physicochemical and flavor characteristics of air frying and deep frying shrimp (crayfish) meat.

This study aimed to compare the changes in the quality characteristics of air-fried (AF) shrimp meat and deep-fried (DF) shrimp meat at different frying temperatures (160, 170, 180, 190°C). Results showed that compared with DF, the moisture and fat content of air-fried shrimp meat (AFSM) was lower, while the protein content was higher. At the same frying temperature, the fat content of the AFSM was 4.26-6.58 g/100 g lower than that of the deep-fried shrimp meat (DFSM). The smell of the AFSM and DFSM was significantly different from that of the control group. The results of the electronic tongue showed that each of the two frying methods had its flavor profile. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) identified 48 compounds, and the content of volatile compounds detected in AFSM was lower than that in DFSM. Among them, the highest level of volatile compound content was found in the DF-190. E-2-pentenal, 2-heptenal (E), and methyl 2-methyl butanoate were identified only in DFSM. In addition, a total of 16 free amino acids (FAAs) were detected in shrimp meat. As judged by sensory evaluation, the AFSM at 170°C was the most popular among consumers.

Quality of Bali beef cut on different management of slaughterhouses (RPH) in Bali province

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical, chemical and microbiological quality of Balinese beef from Slaughterhouses (RPH) with different management in Denpasar City and Badung Regency as abattoirs that supply most of Bali beef on the island of Bali. The material used was male Bali beef in the Longisimus Dorsi (LD) muscle which was cut at three different abattoirs. The RPH are UPT RPH Mambal, UPT RPH Pesanggaran and RPH belonging to the community of RPH Darmasaba in Banjar Bersih Darmasaba Village. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 treatments where three abattoirs were treated and each treatment consisted of 10 repetitions of Bali beef cuts. The variables sought in this study were physical quality variables, namely pH, color, water holding capacity, and meat cooking loss. Chemical quality variables are meat moisture content, protein content, fat content and ash content. Meat microbiological variables were TPC, colliform, e-coli and salmonella. The results showed that the physical quality of Bali beef slaughtered at the Darmasaba RPH had the lowest physical quality compared to the Mambal and Pesanggaran abattoirs, especially on the pH and meat color variables. The chemical quality of Bali beef slaughtered at the three abattoirs had no significant difference in water content, protein content, and ash content. The total plate count, coliform was below the SNI threshold while e-coli was not identified and salmonella was negative.

A Free-Space-Based Model for Predicting Peanut Moisture Content during Natural Drying

This study aimed to investigate the water dissipation pattern from peanut pods under natural drying conditions after harvest. The Shandong peanut Luhua 22 was used to examine the effects of varying moisture content, bulk density, and porosity on the relative permittivity of the peanut at a signal frequency of 5.8 GHz. The peanut dielectric constant, porosity, and bulk density were used as inputs and peanut kernel moisture as outputs. Support vector regression (SVR), extreme learning machine (ELM), sparrow search algorithm-support vector regression (SSA-SVR), and sparrow search algorithm-extreme learning machine (SSA-ELM) were used to create a prediction model of peanut kernel moisture content. The results show that the water content of peanut kernels decreased in a fast and then slow manner throughout the drying process and that the water content of kernels was stable at 5–8% at the end of drying. The relative permittivity of peanut kernels increased with an increase in the water content and bulk density but decreased with an increase in porosity. The developed SVR, ELM, SSA-SVR, and SSA-ELM water-content prediction models were validated and analyzed in this study, with the model test set coefficients of determination of 0.936, 0.949,0.984, and 0.994, respectively. In comparison to SVR, ELM, and SSA-SVR, the SSA-ELM root mean square error was reduced by 0.0080, 0.0060, and 0.0012, respectively. According to the findings, the ELM neural network model, which is based on the optimization of the SSA, has an improved prediction accuracy. This prediction model provides a theoretical foundation for the variations in peanut seed moisture content during the natural drying process after harvesting peanuts in Shandong, which will be useful for future peanut storage and transportation.

Qualitative and organoleptic evaluation of immature cashew kernels under storage

Cashew cultivars, based on flowering behaviour, are categorized into three types, viz., early season, mid-season and late season. In late season type, the harvesting of cashew nuts coincides with the rainy season during which the quality of matured nuts are affected by increased pest and disease attack. This loss can be reduced if the nuts are harvested before it reaches its complete maturity. In this context, present study was conducted in immature cashew kernel to find out suitable storage treatments to enhance the shelf life. Immature cashew kernels were stored in different concentrations of brine solution (5%, 10% and 15%), sugar syrup (50°B, 60°B and 70°B) and by drying in hot air oven until the moisture content of kernel reaches 2-3 per cent. Storage period was for four months and the observations like tannin content, microbial content and organoleptic qualities of kernels stored in each treatment were analysed at the beginning and at the end of the storage. The treatment with 10% brine and 70°B sugar syrup for four months were found as best for storing immature cashew kernels.

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Profile Analysis of Muscles Reveals Pathways and Biomarkers Involved in Flavor Differences between Caged and Cage-Free Chickens.

The cage-free system has gained a lot of interest in recent years because it can offer chickens more freedom and is easier to manage compared with free-range rearing systems, but few studies have focused on the effect of the cage-free rearing system on meat quality and flavor. In this study, 44 Jianghan chickens were reared in caged or cage-free systems to explore the effect of different rearing systems on meat-eating quality. Sensory evaluation of cooked muscles showed that the leg muscle aroma, juiciness, and flavor intensity significantly improved by the cage-free rearing. The cage-free hens had significantly lower body weight, abdominal fat percentage, and meat fat content, but higher meat moisture content. The cage-free group had brighter breast muscle and redder leg muscle color 24 h after slaughter. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profile analysis of the leg muscle samples showed that the cage-free rearing changed biosynthesis pathways associated with glycogen metabolism, lipid and fatty acid biosynthesis and transport, muscle cellular type, and cellular components, which were related to raw meat quality. Different rearing systems also resulted in differences in glycolipid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and altered levels of intramuscular fat content and other flavor precursors. Pathways such as glycerolipid metabolism, adipocytokine signaling, and metabonomic pathways such as linoleic acid, glycerophospholipid, arginine, proline, and β-alanine metabolism may be responsible for the meat quality and flavor change.

Effects of Canopy Position and Microclimate on Fruit Development and Quality of Camellia oleifera

Camellia oleifera is an economic tree species in southern China and is famous for its oil. The surrounding climate is filtered by the tree itself, resulting in the canopy microclimate, which affects the growth and fruit quality of C. oleifera. This study investigated the effect of canopy positions on microclimate and fruit growth, maturation and qualities by comparing the differences in canopy position. This study also considered the relationship between microclimate and fruit qualities during the oil conversion period. The fruit qualities and microclimate were studied by dividing the canopy into two vertical layers and horizontal layers, creating the following canopy positions: upper outer canopy (UO), upper inner canopy (UI), lower outer canopy (LO) and lower inner canopy (LI). The light intensity increased significantly from inside to outside and from top to bottom in the canopy; however, there were no significant differences in temperature and relative humidity. At maturity, the moisture content of fruits and kernels in UO and LO was approximately <5% of those in UI and LI. The soluble sugar content increased by 10.90%, 8.47% and 6.84% in UO, UI and LO in November, while no significant change was observed in LI. The kernel oil content (KOC) obtained a higher value in UO and UI at maturity. However, KOC decreased by 5.16%, 3.02%, 3.10% and 0.67% in UO, UI, LO and LI in November. Light intensity in September and October was correlated, and temperature and relative humidity in August and September were correlated.

Influence of ozonation and roasting on functional, microstructural, textural characteristics, and aflatoxin content of groundnut kernels.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of ozonation, roasting and their combination on the moisture content, color, functional, structural, textural components, and aflatoxins in groundnut kernels. Samples were subjected to three treatments namely, dry roasting (R): 166°C for 7min; gaseous ozone treatment (O): 6mg/L for 30 min; combined ozonation-roasting (OR): gaseous ozonation at 6mg/L for 30 min followed by dry roasting at 166°C for 7min. The ozonated-roasted samples had the lowest moisture content (3.45%), the highest total phenolic content (4.18 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g), and antioxidants capacity (69.59%). The treatments did not induce significant changes in color of kernels (p< .05). Scanning electron microscopy indicated cracking of granules in roasted and swelling in ozonated kernels whereas more uniform orientation of granules was observed in ozonated-roasted kernels. Roasted and ozonated kernels indicated a significant reduction of fracturability force to 54.60 and 14.11%, respectively, whereas ozonated-roasted samples demonstrated a nonsignificant increase (4.37%). An increase in wave number of ozonated samples to 3,289.37 cm-1 in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum (FTIR) indicated stretching in OH groups. FTIR spectrum of ozonated-roasted kernels suggested the formation of a new compound with CC and CC groups. The major aflatoxin B1 was reduced to maximum, that is, 100% in ozonated-roasted kernels followed by ozonated (80.95%) and roasted (57.14%) samples. The findings indicate that the ozonation-roasting treatment had a prominent role in the enhancement of functional compounds, structural and textural attributes along with the considerable reduction in aflatoxin content.

The Comparison between Tanzanian Indigenous (Ufipa Breed) and Commercial Broiler (Ross Chicken) Meat on the Physicochemical Characteristics, Collagen and Nucleic Acid Contents.

The objective of this study was to characterize the meat quality traits that affect the texture and savory taste of Ufipa indigenous chickens by comparing the proximate composition, physical characteristics, collagen, and nucleic acid contents with those of commercial broilers. It was found that Ufipa chicken breast and thigh meat had a higher protein content (p<0.05) than broiler chicken meat, whereas the fat content was lower (p<0.01). The moisture content of thigh meat was lower in Ufipa chicken meat than in broiler chicken meat (p<0.05). Regarding meat color, broiler chickens had considerably higher L* and b* than Ufipa chickens in both the breast and the thigh meat, except for a* (p<0.01). Regarding water holding capacity, Ufipa chicken breast exhibited higher drip loss but lower thawing and cooking losses than broiler chicken (p<0.01). In contrast, its thigh meat had a much lower drip and thawing losses but higher cooking losses (p<0.01). The shear force of Ufipa chickens’ breasts and thighs was higher than that of broiler chickens (p<0.05), while the amount of total collagen in the thigh meat was higher than that of broiler chickens (p<0.05). Additionally, the inosine-5’-monophosphate (IMP) of Ufipa chicken breast and thigh meat was higher than that of broiler meat (p<0.05). The principal component analysis of meat quality traits provides a correlation between the proximate and physical-chemical prosperties of both breeds with some contrast. In conclusion, the present study provides information on healthy food with good-tasting Ufipa indigenous chickens, which offer a promising market due to consumers’ preferences.

Effect of glass transition on drying crack formation of maize kernels

The change of temperature and moisture content during maize ( Zea mays ) kernel drying can cause glass transition, which can lead to crack formation. However, the influence mechanism of glass transition on crack formation is not clear. This work aimed to study the effect of form and process of glass transition on the crack formation. It was found that the form and process of glass transition of maize kernels were determined by the state diagram, moisture content, temperature and state distribution. Glass transition began at the corner of the kernel and extended from the surface to the centre, which was consistent with the development of cracks. The transition form, transition rate and duration of the transition state depended on drying stage and temperature, which could effectively explain the difference in the degree of cracking. This could be helpful for understanding the crack formation mechanism and optimising the operating conditions in maize drying. • Crack formation depended on the form and process of glass transition. • Moisture content and temperature of corn kernel affected the glass transition process. • The difference of crack degree could be explained effectively by the glass transition. • Occurrence and propagation of cracks were consistent with transition of glassy state.