Outer Husk Research Articles

Comprehensive characterization of spathe fibres extracted from Cocos nucifera: physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, and acoustic properties for insulation applications

In this study, a complete characterization of fibres extracted from the spathe of the Cocos nucifera plant and the properties of spathe fibres are compared with coir fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut. Coconut spathe fibre is available as bio waste in bulk. The spathe fibres were carefully extracted, pre-treated with NaOH, and porous nonwoven fibre mat were prepared. The physical properties of spathe fibres were measured as per ASTM standards, and average length, diameter, and linear density were found to be 222 mm, 330 μm, and 58.85 tex, respectively. Chemical compositions, XRD analysis, single fibre tensile strength and elongation, morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal characterization by TGA were also carried out. Spathe fibres treated with NaOH resulted in a 5% reduction in crystallinity index and more surface unevenness and pits. Developing acoustic insulation fibre mat from spathe fibre is a first-of-its-kind study. The sound absorption coefficient of the spathe fibre mat obtained from the impedance tube tester brings out a maximum absorption coefficient of 0.950 at 3150 Hz. The results were compared with coir fibre extracted from the outer husk of coconut and concluded that coconut spathe fibre is a suitable alternative for synthetic and other natural fibres.

Study of Adoption of Improved Technologies in Black Gram Crop

India is largest producer of pulses in world with 25 per cent share in global production. Chickpea, Pigeon Pea. MungBean, UradBean, lentil and Field Pea are important pulses crop contributing 39.00 per cent, 21.00 per cent, 11.00 per cent, 7.00 per cent and 5.00 per cent to the total production of pulses in the country. The total production was estimated 14.56 million tones and an area of 23.63 million hectares with average productivity 625kg/ha. (www agro pedia. Nic in.2015) Over 75% of the total of Black gram is generally known as dal milling or, dehulling. Milling means removal of the outer husk and splitting the grain into two equal halves. Dalmilling is one of the major food processing industries in the country, next only to rice milling. Black gram used as daal and as ingredient in snacks like idly, dosa, vada and papad etc. Adoption of Improved practice is the more essential part of increasing the production, because the population is increase day to day and holding size is decrease, so dal price is highly explosion The first week of October 2015 noted of cost of Black Gram dal 150- 180 Rupees per kg in the retails just before one year the cost October 2014 was 75-85 Rupees per kg (sources individual market survey 2015 ). We need the more production of pulses, we solve this problems by the applied more technologies in their field.

Potential of Coconut Husk Material as a Sustainable Block Batik Development Tool

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is Malaysia's fourth-largest industry, and its outer husk is a sustainable, accessible, and cheap fibrous waste. The rise of copper as the primary material has affected the making of blocks ‘sarang’ tools and, in turn, impacted the selling price. If these issues continue, it could push the Malaysian block batik to the brink of extinction. Thus, sustainability towards the blocks ‘sarang' is required. This paper discovers and explores potential solutions through sustainable materials as new materials to minimise the cost. The result will give alternative materials besides copper to facilitate the growth of the Malaysian batik industry.

Dispersal success of a specialized tropical tree depends on complex interactions among diverse mammalian frugivores

The study of seed dispersal in tropical forest communities is complicated by the high diversity of frugivores and the complex interactions among species and their environments. Determining which species are effective dispersers and which are opportunists with neutral or even negative effects on fruiting plants is a major problem which requires detailed studies focused on particular plant species. In this study we focused on seed dispersal of the wild rambutan (Nephelium melliferum) which supplies energy-rich fruits to primates and other mammals in a seasonal evergreen forest in central Thailand. We hypothesized that gibbons (Hylobates lar) were the most important dispersers and were capable of carrying and defecating seeds away from the tree crown where seeds or seedlings could escape increased distance or density-dependent mortality. We determined the seed dispersal effectiveness of all major arboreal consumers of Nephelium fruit (gibbons, pig-tail monkeys, squirrels) by using data on fruit production and consumption from fruit/seed traps under the canopies of eight sample trees, observations on animals feeding in fruiting trees, and seed deposition data at varying distances from tree crowns. We assessed the survival of seeds and seedlings in relation to distance from the crown by experiments and transect counts. Camera traps were used to detect consumption of seeds on the ground by terrestrial consumers. About half of the ripe fruit crop was harvested by squirrels which gnawed off the outer husk, ate the pulp and dropped intact seeds to the ground. Monkeys chewed and sucked off the pulp and dropped most seeds to the ground not far from the tree. Seeds and intact fruits dropped by squirrels and monkeys supported a large variety of terrestrial mammals most of which were seed predators. Gibbons, which swallow the seed with pulp attached, consumed only 16 % of the fruit crop but were the most effective and reliable seed dispersers overall, and appear to be the most specialized seed dispersal mutualist. Distance-dependent mortality was found in first-year seedlings, as well as evidence that further mortality must space out older saplings prior to recruitment into the tree population, which validates the importance of dispersal by gibbons. However, the great majority of fruits of Nephelium melliferum were consumed by mammalian opportunists and seed predators which interacted with one another in ways which depend on composition of the local community.

​Biochemical Compositions of Milling Byproduct of Mungbean and its Fractions

Background: Mungbean is consumed as whole, sprouts or dehusked splits, in form of dal. Dal is prepared after removal of outer husk cover and splitting the cotyledons in abrasive emery roller mills to improve esculent properties. In the process of husk removal, milling byproduct, mixture of husk and cotyledon powder, is generated, which is usually utilized as low value cattle feed. The milling byproduct contains bioactive compounds useful for human health. In the study biochemical properties of two mungbean cultivars, namely, Shikha and Virat, were evaluated for whole, dal milling byproduct and its fractions, to explore using milling byproduct of mungbean for potential edible usages. Methods: In this study, mungbean cultivars were milled in abrasive roller after water soaking pre-milling treatment. Milling byproduct was fractionated into three particle sizes, i) greater than 1.0 mm, ii) greater than 0.125 mm and iii) less than 0.125 mm. Biochemical components, viz, protein, phenols, antioxidant activity and calorific values were estimated for whole grain, dehusked split (Dal), milling byproduct and its fractions for the two selected mungbean cultivars. Result: The protein content was observed to be high in split dal and powder fraction ( less than 0.125 mm) of milling byproduct. Antioxidant value and phenolic compound were higher in the byproduct fraction retained over greater than 1.00 mm sieve size due to presence of husk in this fraction. Calorific value of byproduct was higher than that of whole seed, dal and byproduct fractions. The study indicates that the mungbean milling byproduct, with beneficial bioactive component can be utilize to develop value added edible products of therapeutic and health benefits.

The potential solvent for tannin extraction as a feed additive made of coffee husk (Coffea canephora) using Soxhlet Method

The purpose of this research was to determine the best of solvent for extracting tannins as a feed additive from coffee husks using the soxhlet method. The method used was quantitative with a completely randomized design experimental. The coffee husk used was a type of Robusta taken from the Kaliwates Region, Jember Regency, Indonesia. The material was the waste from the grinding of coffee cherries, namely the pericarp (parchment, pectin layer, pulp, and outer husk). This research consisted of 3 treatments (P1: Methanol, P2: Ethanol, P3: Acetone), each treatment consisted of 3 replications. The variables were the tannin extracts and residue of tannin extracts. The results showed that different types of tannin solvents had a significant effect on the tannin extracts yield and residue of tannin extracts (P<0.05). Methanol and ethanol solvents produced higher tannin than acetone solvents: 0.5392%, 0.6120%, and 0.2457% respectively. Coffee husk with ethanol solvent gave the least residue compared to methanol and acetone: 61.64%, 66.89%, and 85.26% respectively. The conclusion of this research was Ethanol is a solvent that produces the highest total tannin (0.6120%) and the lowest residue (61.64 ± 0.6688%) from coffee husks compared to methanol and acetone. The result of this research can be used as a consideration for the tannins extraction of other plantation waste.

US Consumers' Perceptions of Raw and Cooked Broken Rice.

Rice supplies about 20% of the calories to the world’s consumers. Milling removes the outer husk and bran, breaking about 20% of the rice kernels during the milling process that equates to almost 100,000,000 tons of rice annually. Broken rice is discounted in price by almost half or relegated to non-human consumption. This study seeks to understand why this large percentage of rice production is discounted for human consumption. Consumers who routinely consume rice evaluated raw and cooked rice with 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% levels of brokens. Sensory analysis indicated the appearance of raw rice with high levels of brokens affected the price consumers were willing to pay. Panelists were not able to discern sensory differences amongst cooked rice samples with different brokens percentages despite an eight-fold difference in brokens (p < 0.01). From this, we concluded that the price discounts imposed on broken rice are not because of perceived differences in the eating quality of cooked rice. Overall impression and overall texture were the two most significant determinants in willingness to purchase rice. The five cooked-rice samples with different levels of broken rice inclusion did not differ in terms of willingness to purchase.

Fabrication and testing of bagasse and coir fibre reinforced composite material

An experimental study has been carried out to find out impact resistance of the material and to observe the surface property of various particulate fibre combinations of reinforcement material and hardener of a particular size range. These composites are obtained by reinforcing bagasse (Dry, pulpy residue of sugarcane after extracting its juice) and coir (Natural fibre extracted from the outer husk of the coconut) at different percentage of compositions, both individually and as a combination, inside the epoxy resin matrix, with and without a hardener as a catalyst. This fabricated composite is subjected to Drop Weight impact test to determine the sample’s resistance to sudden external force and study the surface properties of various particulate fibre combinations using Optical Microscopy.

Walnut (J. regia) Agro-Residues as a Rich Source of Phenolic Compounds.

Simple SummaryAgro-residues are usually discarded as landfill, or burnt or left to decompose in the orchard. The efficient use of these walnut agro-residues would be a strategy that simultaneously helps to preserve the environment and boosts the economic outcome for farmers and companies. While some studies have reported on the content of bioactive compounds in walnut husks, little or nothing is known to date about the bioactive compounds in the buds and bark. Potentially, if walnut parts are used as a valuable source of bioactive compound, they might still be reused for other purposes. The identification and quantification of new phenolics between the different parts of the plant was carried out. It provided valuable data on their phenolic contents, and demonstrated where the extraction of individual phenolics would be meaningful. These data also show origin-related phenolic contents across the cultivars, and thus these phenolic profiles might serve to define the origins of different walnut cultivars. The study will help to propose new directions for further studies essential for agro-food, cosmetics and pharmacy industries.The present study was designed to identify and quantify the major phenolic compounds (phenolics) in the inner and outer husks, buds and bark of the Persian walnut, Juglans regia L. A comparison across six different cultivars grown in Slovenia was also carried out: ‘Fernor’, ‘Fernette’, ‘Franquette’, ‘Sava’, ‘Krka’ and ‘Rubina’. A total of 83 compounds were identified, which included 25 naphthoquinones, 15 hydroxycinnamic acids, 8 hydroxybenzoic acids, 13 flavanols, 2 flavones, 1 flavanone and 19 flavonols. For the first time, 38 phenolics in the husks, 57 phenolics in the buds and 29 phenolics in the bark were presented in J. regia within this study. Naphthoquinones were the major phenolics determined, approximately 75% of all analysed phenolics in the inner husk, 85% in the outer husk, 50% in buds and 80% in bark. The highest content of phenolics was found in the walnut buds, followed by the bark, the inner husk and the outer husk. On the basis of these high phenolic contents, walnut husks, buds and bark represented valuable by-products of the walnut tree. These data also show origin-related phenolic contents across the cultivars, and thus these phenolic profiles might serve to define the origins of different walnut cultivars.

On the Production of Potassium Carbonate from Cocoa Pod Husks

Cocoa beans are found inside an outer husk; 60% of the cocoa fruit is the outer husk, which is a waste biomass. The husk cannot be used directly as a soil amendment as it promotes the fungal black pod disease, which reduces crop yield. The pods are segregated from the trees, and their plant nutrient value is wasted. This is particularly true for the small acreage farmers in West Africa. Cocoa pod husk is well suited to be used as a biomass source for electricity production. The waste ash is rich in potassium, which can be converted in various chemical products, most notably, high-purity potassium carbonate. This study reviews the information known about cocoa and cocoa pod husk, and considers the socio-economic implications of creating a local economy based on collecting the cocoa pod husk for electricity production, coupled with the processing of the waste ash into various products. The study demonstrates that the concept is feasible, and also identifies the local conditions required to create this sustainable economic process.

Chickpea husk – A potential agro waste for coloration and functional finishing of textiles

In the reported work, the outer husk of chickpea, an abundant agro-industrial processing residue available in India, was used to extract textile grade dye. The functional groups present in chickpea extract were analysed by phytochemical analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The extract was used to impart colour to cotton, silk and wool fabric at different temperature without any auxiliaries.The colour value of the dyed fabrics were analysed with computer colour matching system. The results show that the colour extracted from chick pea is having more affinity to protein fibre than cellulosic fibre.Treated fabrics showed a good dye uptake and adequate wash, light and rubbing fastness properties. The coloured fabrics exhibited good ultra violet protection property and excellent resistance against S. aureus and E. coli bacteria. Since no chemicals were used for colouration, the process is totally eco-friendly and can be adopted for small and mediums scale garment export industries.

Fabrication and Characterization of Particle Board from Coffee Husk Waste

The purpose of this research was to fabricate the particle board from the coffee husk. The coffee husk from Chumphon province of Thailand was collected, prepared and separated into four groups such as outer husk, inner husk, the mixture of inner and outer husk and husk from the milling process. The coffee husk particle sheet was formed by the compression molding with the heater. Then the coffee husk particle sheets were the mechanical properties testing. The results showed the coffee husk particle sheet from milling process pass the Thai industrial standard (TIS.876/2547). However, the results of swelling and water absorption indicated that all the coffee husk sheet were not passed the TIS.876/2547. The effect of coffee husk particle size on mechanical properties was clarified. The coffee husk particle sheet from the particle size of 2, 4 and 6 mm was mechanical testing and follow TIS.876/2547. The coffee particle size of 2 mm showed the passing the standard. Moreover, the effect of isocyanate adhesive on mechanical properties was investigated. The weight percentage range of isocyanate adhesive on coffee husk from 7 to 13 %wt was carried out. The weight percentage of 9, 11 and 13 showed according to TIS.876/2547. From the experiment indicated that the coffee husk could be applied to the wood particle board industrial.

Compatibilizer Acidity in Coir-Reinforced PLA Composites: Matrix Degradation and Composite Properties

Coir fibers are lignocellulosic fibers extracted from the outer husk of a coconut, known for their versatility and low cost. This study assessed the feasibility of producing coir reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites and the use of maleic anhydride grafted PLA (PLA-g-MA) as compatibilizer. Composites were produced in a twin-screw extruder and the mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile, flexural and heat deflection temperature tests. The morphological properties were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of compatibilizer and fiber content on molar mass of the composites was assessed by means of size-exclusion chromatography. SEM images showed that addition of the compatibilizer improved interfacial adhesion. However, this finding was not reflected in the mechanical properties because the high acidity content of the compatibilizer, revealed by titration of acid groups, along with the residual moisture of the fibers, significantly decreased molar mass of the polymer, impairing the composite matrix properties.

Development of Ready to Cook (RTC) Edible Coated Foxtail Millet Pulao Mix

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) consumption remains restricted only to certain parts of the population due to lack of information on its potential role in value addition and also in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and others. The unavailability of ready-to-cook food products from foxtail millet also constricts its usage. Foxtail millet is traditionally dehusked before consumption. Dehusking is essential because the outer layer is fibrous, tough and causes irritation while swallowing. However in the present study, to compensate the losses of phytochemicals present in the outer husk, edible coatings (gum acacia, fenugreek seeds, curry leaf and aloe vera) were applied on the dehusked grain. Further, a Ready-to-Cook (RTC) pulao mix was standardized using edible coated foxtail millet, dehydrated vegetables, herbs and spices. Controls used were rice and uncoated foxtail millet. Products were evaluated organoleptically by semi-trained panellists. The highest overall acceptability was for the control rice pulao mix (7.8) followed by curry leaf coated mix (7.3), uncoated mix (7.1), fenugreek seeds coated mix (7.0), gum acacia coated mix (6.9) and then aloe vera coated mix (6.8). The shelf life of pulao mix was also studied. Samples were packed in High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) pouches and stored at ambient conditions for three months. No microbial load was found in all the fresh samples. In both the controls- rice and uncoated millet, yeast was found at the 90th day of storage whereas no yeast was found in the coated samples

Identification and Characterization of the Core Rice Seed Microbiome

The use of microbes in agriculture for enhancing crop production is an emerging alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides; however, their effectiveness is often limited by factors such as host genotype and variability in geographic location. To address this issue, the microbiomes of six different rice (Oryza sativa) seeds, sourced from two locations in Arkansas, U.S.A. of two different genotypes and two harvest years, were characterized. The bacterial and fungal communities were identified in each of four seed compartments (grain, outer grain, husk, and outer husk) using high throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing. More unique amplicon sequence variants were identified in the outer seed husk and least in the grain compartment for both the fungal and bacterial microbiomes, however this only resulted in a decrease in diversity for the fungal communities. Principal component analysis indicated that each tissue compartment harbored relatively distinct bacterial and fungal communities for the three innermost compartments. A bacterial and fungal core microbiome shared among the six seed types for each compartment was identified. Key bacterial genera in the core across all compartments were Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, and taxa in the family Enterobacteriaceae, members of which have been reported to support rice growth. Compared with the bacterial core, more fungal taxa were identified, possibly resulting from the more abundant reads after filtering, and key genera identified were Alternaria, Hannaella, and members of the order Pleosporales. These core members represent valuable candidates for manipulating the rice microbiome, decreasing the use of chemicals while increasing plant performance.

Effect of convective, infrared and microwave heating on drying rates, mass transfer characteristics, milling quality and microstructure of steam gelatinized Paddy

AbstractPaddy (var. Sworn Masuri) was dried by hot air (50 °C), infrared hot air (4,185 W m−2 radiation intensity and 40 °C) and microwave rotary drum (0.37, 0.78, and 1.23 kW kg−1 power density) to evaluate the most suitable method of drying. Before drying, the paddy grains were soaked in water (60 °C, 6 h) followed by steaming (200 kPa, 10 min) to gelatinize the starch. The drying rate constants, apparent moisture diffusivity (Da), convective mass transfer coefficient (hm), head rice yield (HRY) and the broken percentage were estimated. The X‐ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of starch granules and outer husk of the dried paddy were carried out. Microwave rotary drum drying (MWD) was found to be faster as compared to hot air drying (HAD) and infrared hot air drying (IRHD). The hm in MWD was found to be 90.76–97.01% higher than HAD and 33.33–78.44% higher than IRHD. The HRY and specific energy consumption in MWD were, respectively, 5.87% and 89.16% lower than HAD. The microwave dried rice showed the lowest crystallinity percentage. The SEM of rice starch obtained by MWD showed cracks and fissures whereas IRHD induced microstructural changes only in paddy husk.Practical applicationsRice is a staple food of 90% Asian population. The parboiled paddy is dried in the open sun (2–3 days) and by hot air (6–9 h) on farms and in the rice industry. These are highly laborious and time‐consuming methods. Therefore, the study was undertaken from industry suggestion to develop a cost‐effective microwave‐assisted drying method for parboiled paddy. The microwave rotary drum drying was found to give similar quality rice compared to hot air with a 90% reduction in specific energy consumption. Therefore, traditional open sun and hot air drying can be replaced by microwave rotary drum to save expenses towards the capital costs, energy, labor, and grain handling.

Husk to caryopsis adhesion in barley is influenced by pre- and post-anthesis temperatures through changes in a cuticular cementing layer on the caryopsis

BackgroundAt ripeness, the outer husk of “covered” barley grains firmly adheres to the underlying caryopsis. A cuticular cementing layer on the caryopsis is required for husk adhesion, however the quality of adhesion varies significantly among cultivars which produce the cementing layer, resulting in the economically important malting defect, grain skinning. The composition of the cementing layer, and grain organ development have been hypothesised to influence the quality of husk adhesion. Plants of Hordeum vulgare ‘Concerto’ were grown at different temperatures pre- and post-anthesis to effect changes in the development of the husk, caryopsis and cuticular cementing layer, to determine how these variables influence the quality of husk-to-caryopsis adhesion.ResultsWarm conditions pre-anthesis decreased the quality of husk adhesion, and consequently increased the incidence of grain skinning. Cool post-anthesis conditions further decreased the quality of husk adhesion. The composition of the cementing layer, rather than its structure, differed with respect to husk adhesion quality. This cementing layer was produced at the late milk stage, occurring between nine and 29 days post-anthesis, conditional on the temperature-dependent growth rate. The compounds octadecanol, tritriacontane, campesterol and β-sitosterol were most abundant in caryopses with high-quality husk adhesion. The differences in adhesion quality were not due to incompatible husk and caryopsis dimensions affecting organ contact.ConclusionsThis study shows that husk-to-caryopsis adhesion is dependent on cementing layer composition, and implies that this composition is regulated by temperature before, and during grain development. Understanding this regulation will be key to improving husk-to-caryopsis adhesion.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Natural Dye from Exocarp and Mesocarp of &lt;i&gt;Cocos&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;nucifera&lt;/i&gt;

There is an abundance of waste contributed by most agricultural industries. Coconut industry wastes such as the (exocarp) outer layer and (mesocarp) husk can be exploited and turned into useful products such as natural dyes. In the present work, solvent extraction of natural dye from exocarp and mesocarp of Cocos nucifera using ultrasound has been studied. Methanol, ethanol and acetone with varying concentration (20%-70%) were used in the extraction process which was carried out at 30°C for 1 hour. Aqueous extraction was also performed with the same condition and acts as a control sample. The extraction of pigment from exocarp using 50% acetone produced the highest percentage of the yield of colorant (11.6%), while for mesocarp extraction, both 50% and 60% acetone yielded the highest percentage of colorant which was 9.2%. In addition, control sample (aqueous extraction of mesocarp and exocarp) showed lower percentages of the yield of colorant which was 6.4% and 6.8%, respectively. The results indicate that there was a significant improvement in the percentage of yield of natural colorant obtained due to the use of ultrasound.

Smart monkeys perfect tool use to crack nuts

Dorothy Fragaszy and her colleague Madhur Mangalam analyzed videos of 14 bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus ilbidinosus) from southern Brazil cracking 181 tucum nuts. By noting how high each monkey raised the tool and the velocity with which the animal brought it down, they worked out the force used. After each strike the capuchins assessed the state of the nut to decide how much force to use next time, hitting the nut less hard if they had managed to breach the husk or shell. Cracking the nuts is complex because to get to the soft edible part the monkeys have to get through an outer husk and then a much harder shell.

Kernel texture and hordoindoline patterns in barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Hordoindolines, the tryptophan-rich polypeptides affecting grain hardness in barley, appeared as three pairs of polypeptides in the acidic polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE) and two-dimensional A-PAGE × SDS-PAGE patterns of starch-granule proteins from 18 barley cultivars. On capillary RP-HPLC/nESI-MS/MS spectrometry, one pair of polypeptides was found to correspond to hordoindoline A (HINA), one to hordoindoline B1 (HINB1) and one to hordoindoline B2 (HINB2), the two polypeptides of each pair deriving from post-translational cleavage of a native hordoindoline at different positions at the N-terminus and/or C-terminus. Amongst the barley cultivars analyzed, cvs Hart and Sundance, which were claimed to be unique in lacking the Hina gene coding for HINA, revealed similar Hina coding sequences and accumulated hordoindoline HINA on their starch granules. The amount of total hordoindolines (HINA + HINB1 + HINB2) on the starch granules, as quantified by densitometric scanning of A-PAGE gels, was comparable with that of puroindolines (PINA + PINB) in soft-textured wheat. By contrast, the amount of B-type hordoindolines (HINB1 and HINB2 combined) was 50 % lower than that of PINB, suggesting that the absence of barley cultivars with soft kernels is likely due to the reduced amount of B-type hordoindolines accumulated on the starch granules. Approximately 22 and 27 % of the phenotypic variation for kernel hardness in 56 barley cultivars analyzed by the Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) were explained by differences in kernel weight and B-type hordoindoline level, respectively. By contrast, the outer husk of barley grain showed no effect on the SKCS index.