Percent Moisture Content Research Articles

Organoleptic Evaluation of Aonla (Emblica officinalis G.) Nectar during Storage

A research experiment was conducted during the year 2019-20 and 2020-21 in the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Unit Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Gwalior with seven different varieties of aonla viz., NA-4, NA-5, NA-6,NA-7, NA-10, Laxmi and Chakaiya. This study was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications. It was studied about the preparation of various value added products such as aonla nectar. From the finding it was observed that, the increase in the percentage of acidity, moisture, phenols and fiber content of aonla nectar while total soluble solids and total sugar content was decreased. There was gradual increase in moisture content of aonla nectar prepared with different pulp combination of aonla fruits during storage period. However, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid content decreased with advancement of storage period. Observations were recorded up to storage period of six months at ambient conditions. Laxmi and Chakaiya varieties were found superior with respect to colour, appearance, taste and aroma as well as flavour. As per the organoleptic evaluation the overall acceptability of anola nectar was found significant with the storage intervals of 30, 60, 90 and 120 days.

Physicochemical Characterisation of White Pepper: A Comparative Study Between Traditional Sun Drying and Convective Rotary Drum Drying Methods

Drying is a crucial process in preserving the physicochemical qualities of white pepper. This study investigates the impact of two drying processes, namely traditional sun drying (TSD) and rotary drum drying (RDD), on the quality of white pepper. TSD requires three consecutive sunny days for drying, whereas RDD achieves the target moisture content of 12% within a rapid drying time of 120 min. The research employs thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyse the dimensions, thermo-physical profiles, chemical constituents, and microstructure of the pepper samples. RDD, with a drying temperature of 55°C and centrifugation force of 129.7 × g, ensures fast and uniform drying while preserving the physicochemical qualities of white pepper. In terms of physical characteristics, RDD results in larger dried pepper dimensions, measuring 4.56 mm on average, compared to TSD, which measures 4.35 mm. SEM observations reveal varying pore sizes and cracks in both drying methods. Additionally, quality validation conducted by the Malaysian Pepper Board demonstrates that RDD exhibits superior quality compared to TSD. The RDD samples show moisture content, piperine, volatile, and ash percentages of 11.83, 8.18, 2.53, and 0.82, respectively, while the TSD samples show 10.37, 7.16, 2.43, and 0.74. All samples complied with Standard Malaysian White Pepper No. 1 and International Pepper Community Grade 1. Future studies should focus on enhancing different drying methods to achieve efficient white pepper drying while preserving its quality.

Production and characterization of coconut shell charcoal-based bio-briquettes as an alternative energy source for rural communities

The increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions has driven interest in the utilization of agricultural residues, such as coconut shells, for bio-briquette production. This study investigates the impact of binder types (cassava and corn) and concentrations (5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%) on the properties of bio-briquettes made from dried coconut shells with two particle sizes (40 mesh and 60 mesh). The experimental evaluation focuses on several performance indicators, including density, shatter index, percentage moisture content (PMC), percentage volatile matter (PVM), percentage ash content (PAC), percentage fixed carbon (PFC), higher heating value (HHV), ignition time, burning time, and boiling time. The results indicate that briquettes with 10 % fine charcoal cassava binder achieved the highest density of 0.764 g/cm³ due to improved compaction. Briquettes with 15 % coarse charcoal corn binder demonstrated the highest shatter resistance at 96.99 %, reflecting their superior structural integrity. The highest PMC and PVM values were observed in briquettes with 15 % coarse charcoal cassava binder, at 8.13 % and 31.25 %, respectively. Conversely, the highest PAC was 16.34 % for 5 % coarse charcoal cassava binder. Briquettes with 10 % fine charcoal corn binder exhibited the highest PFC of 70.79 % and HHV of 31.51 MJ/kg. Boiling times ranged from 15 min 53 s to 36 min 35 s, with the shortest boiling time for briquettes with 10 % fine charcoal corn binder. The findings highlight the superior mechanical properties and energy performance of bio-briquettes with specific binder concentrations and particle sizes. This study demonstrates the potential of coconut shell bio-briquettes as a viable and sustainable energy source, offering economic and environmental benefits through the effective utilization of agricultural waste and reduction of carbon emissions.

AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION AND NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF DRIED JUVENILE FISH (Clarias gariepinus) SOLD IN IBADAN METROPOLITAN MARKETS

The contamination of food due to the occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi is a public health concern. Therefore, fungi and aflatoxin contamination of smoked-dried juvenile fish (SDJF) (Clarias gariepinus) were investigated. The samples were purchased from three major markets in Ibadan. The total fungal count ranged from 1.0 x 103 to 12.0 x 103 CFU/g. Thirty-two fungi were isolated, including Penicillium sp., Rhizopus sp., Alternaria sp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus ochraceus. A. niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (38%), while A. ochraceus (3%) had the lowest. All the samples were contaminated with aflatoxin. The total aflatoxin content ranged from 0.237 to 1.995 ppb. Of the 11 Aspergillus strains obtained from the samples, 5 were aflatoxigenic, while 6 were not. 85 and 94% of the mycobiota were xerophilic and halophilic. The percentage moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, and ash content in the samples ranged from 12.99–17.82%, 68.72–77.62%, 0.49–6.00%, and 6.97–12.24%. Phosphorus and potassium concentrations of the SDJF samples ranged from 388.2–509.6 mg/100g and 1113.8–1517.0 mg/100g, while lead and cadmium were not detected in the samples. Though the level of aflatoxin contamination in this study was within the maximum limit permitted (20 ppb), proper attention is needed for adequate preservation before sales and consumption.

Development and Physico-chemical analysis of value-added Chikki using iron rich garden cress seed and exploring its benefits in treatment of Anaemic patient

The effect of the incorporation of roasted garden cress seed powder (RGCSP) in the diet of girls with anaemia on Hb level and quality was evaluated. Twenty-two girls were selected and their Hb levels were estimated. Out of twenty-two girls, fifteen girls were found to be anemic and were selected for the study and it was found that four girls had mild, nine had moderate and two had severe degree of anaemia. The girls' average Hb levels dramatically raised from 8.9 to 10.4 g/dL following a 60-day intervention that also included RGCSP. Research on garden cress seed powder (GCSP) showed that roasting decreased the amount of moisture, protein, carbohydrate, and zinc while increasing the amount of ash, fat, crude fiber, and iron. Four distinct formulations were created with various amounts of GCSP (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %) to generate fortified chikki. The chikki with 15 % GCSP had the highest overall acceptance rating of among them. Compared to the control chikki, this enriched variety had higher percentages of protein (6.95 %), fat (15.87 %), moisture (4.60 %), fiber (3.95 %), and calorie content (456.23 kcal/100 g). Supplemented chikki made by fortifying with RGCSP was rich in nutritional composition.

Physicochemical, Cooking Quality and Sensory Acceptability of Three Cowpea Varieties Grown in Botswana

Background: Information on the physicochemical, cooking and sensory qualities of cowpea seeds are required for nutrition information, to design processing and for consumer acceptance. In view of this, three cowpea varieties (Tswana, Blackeye and ER7) grown in Botswana were evaluated. Method: Proximate compositions, physical, gelatinization and sensory properties respectively were evaluated following AOAC, conventional, Amylograph and on 7-point hedonic sensory acceptability scale. Result: Significant variations (p less than 0.05) were observed in fat, fiber, ash and available carbohydrate (CHO) contents, length, thickness, hundred seeds weight (HSW), hydration capacity, hydration index, cooking time, flour starches maximum gelatinization temperature (Tm,°C) and viscosity at Tm. The percentage moisture, protein, fiber, fat, ash and available carbohydrate contents ranged 9.5-10.1, 21.7-22.8, 2.3-2.6, 1.1-2.0, 2.1-3.0 and 59.4-62.3, respectively. Initial gelatinization temperature (To,°C) and Tm (°C) were ranged 71.3(ER7)-73.7(Tswana) and 83.0(ER7)-84.7(Blackeye), respectively. Significant (p less than 0.05) variations in Tm and viscosity at Tm were observed because of differences in water uptake, swelling and thickening ability at high temperature. Longest cooking time was recorded for Tswana (43.57 min) while shortest was for Blackeye (36.10 min). Tswana recorded a longer cooking time probably because of low water hydration capacity, small seed size and low HSW. There was no significant difference in the sensory liking of the cooked cowpea seeds and were rated from slightly to moderately like. Cowpeas of high protein and fiber contents, short cooking time and high thickening ability on cooking are preferred for healthy diets. In terms of cooking time and thickening ability, Tswana variety appeared poor. Shorter cooking time, high protein content and high thickening ability of Blackeye cowpea is more acceptable. The ER7 is preferred for its large seed size.

Formulation and evaluation of transdermal patch of carbamazepine

Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is a widely accepted mode of drug delivery method due to various advantages and one of the novel routes for systemic delivery of drugs through intact skin. Topical drug administration is a systemic and localized method of delivering drugs through skin and is considered an attractive alternative to oral and parenteral routes. The aim of present study was to formulate and evaluate Matrix type transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) of Carbamazepine was prepared by the solvent evaporation technique. Several batches were prepared by using combination of HPMC E-15, Eudragit RL-100, and Ethyl Cellulose different ratios. Propylene glycol was used as plasticizer and DMSO was incorporated as a permeation enhancer. These Formulated transdermal patches were characterized for their physicochemical parameters like thickness, weight variation, folding endurance, percentage moisture uptake, Percentage moisture uptake and In vitro drug release studies were examined. Among the above all formulation F6 was chosen as a best Formulation, because this optimised formulation showed satisfactory drug content, physical characteristic for its thickness, weight uniformity, percentage moisture content, percentage moisture uptake, and maximum % of drug release i.e., 93.95 % in 12 hours. The optimized formulation (F6) showed maximum highest percentage of drug release.

Effect of Microsphere Concentration on Catechin Release from Microneedle Arrays.

In this work, microspheres were developed by cross-linking glutaraldehyde in an aqueous gelatin solution with a surfactant and solvent. A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution was produced and combined with catechin-loaded microspheres. Different microsphere concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) were applied to the PVA microneedles. The moisture content, particle size, swelling, and drug release percentage of microneedles were studied using various microsphere concentrations. Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations validated the structure of gelatin microspheres as well as their decoration in microneedles. The SEM scans revealed that spherical microspheres with a wrinkled and folded morphology were created, with no physical holes visible on the surface. The gelatin microspheres generated had a mean particle size of 20-30 μm. Ex vivo release analysis indicated that microneedles containing 10% microspheres released the most catechin, with 42.9% at 12 h and 84.4% at 24 h.

Evaluation of the Physicochemical and Micromeritic Properties of Exudate Gum of Cussonia arborea Stem Bark in Conventional Tablet Formulation

Pharmaceutical excipients are classified based on the function(s) in the processing and/or finished product. However, functionality evaluations, procedures, and related acceptance criteria for excipients tend to depend on the dosage form, and assessment is usually done on a case-by-case basis. This means that any useful and reliable evaluation of the overall functionality-related properties is only possible within the context of the specific formulation method. This study evaluated the physicochemical, functional, and related properties of purified gum obtained from the stem bark of the Cussonia arborea tree. The purified gum was acidic (pH 5.32–5.50) with percentage (%) moisture content and insoluble matter of 13.33 ± 0.33 and 0.47 ± 0.01, respectively. Moreover, it was soluble in all the aqueous-based solvents but insoluble in all the organic solvents. The total ash of the gum was higher than that of international standard gum Arabic. Micromeritic properties indicated the need for a flow aid to improve flowability. Six formulated batches of tablets containing 0.5–5%w/w of gum, respectively, were generally soft with none passing the USP T80 standard of drug dissolution indicating poor tablet binding and drug-releasing properties. The disintegration action of CAPG was poor (only batches containing 0.5 and 1% CAPG passed) and was not comparable to that of the standard corn starch. The gum was therefore considered a poor disintegrant and binder in the formulation of conventional release tablets.

BTEX adsorption from aqueous solutions using activated carbon from Melaleuca cajuputi leaves

This study put forward Melaleuca cajuputi leaves to prepare activated carbon using H3PO4 as an activating agent and examined the aqueous solution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX). The surface functional group, surface morphology, and surface area were identified by employing Fourier transform infrared spectra, field emission scanning microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller to characterize the properties of the produced activated carbon; others include pH, moisture content, and yield percentage. The activated carbon's performance was assessed using batch adsorption experiment. 50 mg/L of BTEX disintegrates in purified water to form the standard solution and is stored at 4 °C. The study examined the effects of time spent in contact, dosage of the adsorbent and initial concentration. The results show that Melaleuca cajuputi activated carbon (MCAC2) has the optimum surface area 128 m2/g and performs very effectively as a BTEX adsorbent. According to the BTEX adsorption data, MCAC2 has 94% elimination effectiveness at 50 mg/L after 30 min of contact. To further adapt the experimental information for BTEX adsorption onto the MCAC2, Freundlich, Langmuir, and pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were used. The findings fitted pseudo-second-order with optimal values of R2 = 0.979, and the isotherm model adsorption fitted Langmuir model with values of R2 = 0.992 The finding reveals that Melaleuca cajuputi leaves are useful material for producing adsorbents, and successful testing outcomes demonstrate that M. cajuputi leaves products serves as a vital organic absorbent in the decomposition of BTEX.

Global variation in ecoregion flammability thresholds

Anthropogenic climate change is altering the state of worldwide fire regimes, including by increasing the number of days per year when vegetation is dry enough to burn. Indices representing the percent moisture content of dead fine fuels as derived from meteorological data have been used to assess geographic patterns and temporal trends in vegetation flammability. To date, this approach has assumed a single flammability threshold, typically between 8 and 12%, controlling fire potential regardless of the vegetation type or climate domain. Here we use remotely sensed burnt area products and a common fire weather index calculated from global meteorological reanalysis data to identify and describe geographic variation in fuel moisture as a flammability threshold. This geospatial analysis identified a wide range of flammability thresholds associated with fire activity across 772 ecoregions, often well above or below the commonly used range of values. Many boreal and temperate forests, for example, can ignite and sustain wildfires with higher estimated fuel moisture than previously identified; Mediterranean forests, in contrast, tend to sustain fires with consistently low estimated fuel moisture. Statistical modelling showed that flammability thresholds derived from burnt area are primarily driven by climatological variables, particularly precipitation and temperature. Our analysis also identified complex associations between vegetation structure, fuel types, and climatic conditions highlighting the complexity in vegetation–climate–fire relationships globally. Our study provides a critical, necessary step in understanding and describing global pyrogeography and tracking changes in spatial and temporal fire activity.

Physical and mechanical properties of belangke (Gigantochloa pruriens) bamboo laminated boards modified with citric acid

Belangke bamboo can be used to produce laminated boards due to its good mechanical properties. This study investigates the physical and mechanical properties of laminated boards from belangke bamboo at various immersion times of citric acid. Bamboo lamina is arranged into laminated boards (3 layers of bamboo lamina) with dimensions of 30 x 15 x 1.5 cm (Length x Width x Thickness). Laminated boards were glued using isocyanate adhesive with glue spread level of 280 g/m2. Testing of this laminated board includes physical and mechanical properties. Testing of physical properties, including weight percent gain (WPG), density, moisture content (MC), and delamination. Meanwhile, mechanical properties include modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), and shear strength. The physical and mechanical properties of belangke bamboo laminated in this study resulted in WPG values ranging from 7.00-10.00%, density with a range of 0.79–0.86 g/cm3, moisture content with a range of 11.86-12.67%, delamination ranged from 0.00-7.77%, MOE ranged from 113686-127378 kg/cm2, MOR ranged from 516.97–578.95 kg/cm2, and shear strength ranged from 20.53–27.73 kg/cm2. The best of the physical and mechanical properties of citric acid-modified belangke laminated boards in this study were laminated boards with 24-hour immersion time

The effects of Sorghum bicolor leaf stalk (SBLS) on the bacterial quality of Ogi produced from maize (Zea mays)

Ogi is a staple food in Nigeria and other West African countries given its affordability and easy preparation it is largely consumed by many people. Ogi is used as a weaning food and given to the elderly and convalescent. Studies have shown that nutrients are lost during the production of Ogi. Hence, Ogi is fortified with Sorghum bicolor leaves stalk (SBLS) to prevent malnutrition despite the antibacterial activities of the SBLS extracts against some bacteria strains but little is known on the activity of the SBLS fortified Ogi on the bacterial, physicochemical quality and proximate composition of Ogi. This study aims to investigate the effect of SBLS on the bacterial quality and other physicochemical properties of Ogi. SBLS was added to Ogi during the secondary fermentation for seven days. Samples were taken at time 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. The samples were analysed to determine the total titratable acidity, pH, temperature, proximate composition and bacteria compositions in Ogi fortified with SBLS using unfortified Ogi samples as control. The fortification of Ogi with SBLS significantly reduced the percentage moisture, crude fat and ash content compared to the unfortified Ogi. There were significant increase in percentage crude fiber and crude protein of Ogi fortified with SBLS compared to unfortified (p < 0.05). This research showed that Ogi fortified with SBLS prevented the growth of Bacillus subtilis compared to unfortified Ogi with SBLS. The addition of SBLS inhibits the growth of Bacillus subtilis and thus affects the bacterial quality of Ogi.

Assessment of Reclaimed Mined Area of Sahastradhara, Dehradun by Soil and Vegetation Analysis

This study investigates the impact of forest area mining on reclaimed limestone mined areas in Sahastradhara, Uttarakhand, India. Initiated in 1989-90, eco-restoration efforts aimed at rehabilitating the mined areas resulted in restoration ages of 25, 24, and 23 years across different sites. The study comprehensively examined vegetation and soil physicochemical properties at various depths, revealing the dominance of species like Murrayakoenigii, Acacia catechu, Vitex negundo, Eupatorium adenophorum, Grevillea robusta, and Lantana camara. Soil analyses unveiled variations in moisture content, bulk density, and coarse fragment percentage across the sites, a rise in organic carbon, phosphorous, and nitrogen levels, showcasing soil improvement post-restoration. Correlation analyses unveiled interrelationships between soil properties, emphasizing the importance of organic matter in influencing soil acidity. Vegetation analyses at different sites revealed evolving plant communities, with prominent species contributing to the ecological richness. The Importance Value Index (IVI) and Shannon Weiner Index (H') provided insights into species dominance and biodiversity. The results showed that the soil pH was slightly basic, and the available phosphorus and nitrogen levels were within the optimal range for plant growth. However, the bulk density and electrical conductivity values were higher than the recommended range. This study contributes valuable insights into the intricate interplay between mining activities, vegetation dynamics, and soil health, guiding future ecological restoration endeavors in similar contexts. The study concluded that the eco-restoration work carried out in the area has been successful in restoring the vegetation, but further assessment is required to ensure the long-term success of the restoration efforts.

Development, Characterization, and In‐Vitro Evaluation of Niosomal Transdermal Patch of Lamotrigine Drug

AbstractNiosomes are self‐assembled vesicular nanocarriers obtained by hydration of synthetic surfactants and appropriate amounts of cholesterol or other amphiphilic molecules. The transdermal route of drug administration ensures systemic delivery of drug by applying a drug formulation onto intact and healthy skin thus ensuring sustained drug release and bypass of first‐pass metabolism. Thus, the aim of the study is to develop antiepileptic drugs loaded niosomal transdermal patches an effective substitute for the existing maintenance therapies used for controlling epileptic seizures. In this study, transdermal patch formulation is prepared with optimized niosomal formulation and optimized PVA and PVP polymers, plasticizers, and penetration enhancers by solvent casting method. These patches are characterized for physico‐chemical parameters such as folding endurance, tensile strength, swelling ratio, percentage drug content, percentage moisture content, water vapor transmission ratio, and in‐vitro diffusion study.

MEASUREMENT OF RICE MOISTURE CONTENT BASED ON QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FROM RADIO TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES

Inefficient storage of paddy and rice grains can lead to grain deterioration, resulting in post-harvest losses ranging from 10% to 30%. The quality of grains cannot be improved throughout the storage period. Therefore, following the mechanisation of agricultural industries, air dryers have been developed to control the crops’ moisture level by blowing ambient or heated air into the silo to improve the aeration and allow the grains to be preserved with minimal loss of quality until the appropriate time for managing and marketing processes. However, the conventional sampling method used to measure the moisture level is inefficient because it is very localised and only represents part of the moisture distribution inside the bulk grains. Additionally, incorporating advanced technologies can be a significant cost limitation for small-scale industries. Thus, to address the issue, this research study developed a radio tomographic imaging (RTI) system in a silo-scale prototype using 20 sensor nodes operating at 2.4 GHz to localise and monitor the moisture level constructively. The RTI system reconstructs the cross-sectional images across the rice silo by measuring radio frequency attenuation, in terms of received signal strength (RSS) quality, caused by the rice moisture phantoms within the wireless sensor network (WSN) area. A total of five phantoms’ profiles having a percentage of moisture content (MC) of 15%, 20% and 25% were reconstructed using four image reconstruction algorithms, Linear Back Projection (LBP), Filtered Back Projection (FBP), Newton’s One-step Error Reconstruction (NOSER) and Tikhonov Regularisation.

EFFECT OF PROCESSING ON THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE FLOUR

The purpose of the study (2022) is to compare QPM maize flour’s physico-chemical composition before and after processing. A bag of 12 kg of QPM of the Shaktiman-5 variety was purchased. The gathered maize grains were cleaned by sifting out any remaining foreign material and sick or damaged seeds. In case of processing, the remaining 10 kg of maize grains were split into four equal sets in duplicate. There were 2.5 kg of corn grains in each replica. One set was preserved as the control (in triplicate) out of the four sets (in triplicate) for the study. In case of processing, the other three sets (each in triplicate) were retained. Boiling, roasting, and processing with alkali were the processing techniques used.The highest percentage of moisture content was found in the QPM control samples (13.06%), followed by samples of boiled maize (8.21%), alkalitreated samples (4.80%), and samples that had been roasted (3.65%). In terms of fat, it was discovered that roasted samples (3.92%) had the highest concentration, followed by alkali-treated maize samples (3.40%), boiling samples (3.28%), and control samples (3.23%). Ash level was highest in roasted samples (1.25%), then boiling samples (1.24%), untreated samples (1.14%), and samples treated with alkali (0.93%). The control samples had the highest percentage of fibre content (3.87%), followed by samples of boiled maize (3.79%), alkali-treated samples (3.30%), and samples that had been roasted (2.64%). Alkali treated sample had the greatest protein content percentage (10.85%), followed by control maize. In terms of carbohydrates, roasted samples (77.77%), alkali-treated samples (76.72%), boiling samples (73.13%), and control samples (67.87%) showed the highest amount.While it dropped in alkali-treated maize samples (18.42%), the proportion of ash concentration increased in boiled (8.77%) and roasted (9.65%) samples. After processing the QPM of the Shaktiman-5 variety, there were unquestionably both qualitative and quantitative modifications.

Erodibility Indices and Soil Loss from Different Land uses in Owukpa and Okaba Bioregion of Lower Coal Measures Geological Sediments of the Anambra Basin, Nigeria

The study on erodibility indices and soil loss from different land uses in Owukpa and Okaba bioregion of lower coal measures geological sediments of the Anambra Basin, Nigeria was conducted forested, cultivated and residential lands. Thirty-nine (39) representative soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 – 20 cm using auger, labeled and preserved to the laboratory for standard laboratory procedures. The percentage of different grain sizes Moisture content, organic carbon, organic matter content, soil pH, bulk density, particle density, porosity, soil structural index, specific gravity, particle size and permeability were verified. The three land uses were predominantly sandy soil and classified as sandy loam, moderate Permeability, low moisture and clay contents. Dispersion, Erosion, Clay and Modified Clay ratios where high, while Water Stable Aggregates was low. Cultivated land use has the highest value of erodibility factor K (0.12) and predicted soil loss was 18.22 tons/ha/yr. Residential land use value of erodibility factor K was 0.10 and the predicted soil loss of 14.80 Tons/ha /yr while forested land use K was lowest (0.08) with predicted soil loss of 11.84 tons/ha/yr. Using one way ANOVA at p ? 0.05 the different land use patterns did not significantly influence erodibility factor and soil loss in the study area.

Comprehensive Analysis of Dry Material Content, Moisture Content, and FTIR Spectroscopy in Durian Peel

One of the agricultural wastes that has the potential to become high-value products is durian peel waste. This study aims to analyze the parts of durian peel in terms of dry material content, moisture content and FTIR analysis. The method of this research is starting from the selection of ripe durian and durian peel is divided into four parts and labelled as B (thin neck area of white inner peel), C (thick bottom area of white inner peel), A (green and spiny outer peel), and AC (overall combination of C and A). Each section of durian peel has been studied to determine dry material, moisture, and crude fiber content. The results showed that the A segment had the highest dry material content (15.18 %), the B segment had the highest percentage of moisture content (124.1 %) and the FTIR testing of durian peel samples contained O-H, C-H, C≡C, C=O and C=C functional groups. These data have proven that each segment of durian peel has a significant difference in terms of composition value and that the moisture absorption rate of durian peel affects the functional groups.

Quality characteristic of instant rice produced using microwave‐assisted hot air drying

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesIt is of utmost importance for the instant rice processing sector to reassess its methodologies to enhance the overall quality of instantized rice products. This study aimed to analyze how the combination of microwave (MW) drying and convective heated air drying influences the quality of instantized rice. Novel approaches for drying precooked rice were explored, involving the utilization of an industrial MW operating at a frequency of 915 MHz with treatment conditions set at 4 kW power for 8 min. This was followed by two distinct convective oven drying strategies, each lasting 4 min. Specifically, stepwise convective hot air drying involved progressively decreasing temperatures, while constant temperature convective hot air drying maintained a consistent temperature. The convective hot air‐drying temperatures ranged from 160°C to 230°C, while the constant temperature options were either 160°C or 200°C. Both strategies encompassed three relative humidity levels (20%, 40%, and 60%). The impact of these techniques on the quality attributes of a newly developed long‐grain (LG) hybrid rice variety, RT 7521 FP, was assessed.FindingsThe drying approach and percentage RH significantly impacted the percentage points of moisture removed, with both their p values smaller than .01. For water activity, the main effect of the drying approach was significant because the p values of its hypothesis test were smaller than .05. The results showed that increasing the percentage of RH increases the mean water activity under the constant medium, constant high, and stepwise medium approaches. MW drying followed by a Constant high approach under 40% RH had a higher rehydration ratio value of instantized rice than all other drying treatments. The second highest rehydration ratio was observed in MW drying, followed by stepwise high treatments. None of the effects of the factors of RH and drying approach were significant for the rehydration ratio because their p values were all larger than .05. For bulk density, the main effects of RH and the drying approach were not significant since their p values were larger than .05. The drying temperature had significant impacts on textural parameters such as hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience, except springiness. RH impacted both adhesiveness and resilience. All parameters measured, including percentage RH and drying approach, did not significantly impact the rehydration ratio, color, and bulk density of treated instant rice samples (p > .05).ConclusionsPrediction profiler for multiattribute optimization using a desirability function approach from John's Macintosh Project Pro 17 statistical software was used to identify the best setting of RH and the drying approach that maximizes the percentage of moisture content removed, minimizes water activity, and reaches an adhesiveness and resilience values close to −4.615 and 0.6722, respectively. The best setting for RH was identified as 20%, and the best drying approach was stepwise high. Under these settings, the predicted mean percentage of moisture removed, water activity, adhesiveness, and resilience of the models were 44.43%, 0.478, −9.02, and 0.5, respectively. Therefore, these settings are recommended to achieve rice samples with attractive moisture content removed, water activity, adhesiveness, and resilience.Significance of StudyThe study has provided crucial information on the instantizing potential of a new variety of hybrid rice and the feasibility of combining a 915 MHz industrial MW and convective hot air to dry and obtain instant rice with improved quality attributes, including high rehydration ratios for shorter cooking times, lighter weight, and longer shelf life. The information generated from this study may be useful to guide decisions on drying conditions for industrial processing of instantized rice with premium quality.