Moisture Dependent Physical and Compression Properties of Safflower Seed

BAÜMLER, ERICA; CUNIBERTI, ADELA; NOLASCO, SUSANA; RICCOBENE, ISABEL

JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING

International Society of Food Engineering (ISFE)

Año: 2006 vol. 72 p. 134 - 140

0260-8774

The objective of this study was to investigate the e.ect of moisture content on some physical properties and fracture resistance of the sa.ower seeds typically cultivated in Argentina. The sa.ower seeds have an oil content of 43 ± 3.6% dry basis (d.b.), 37% (d.b.) hull contents and the initial moisture content of the sa.ower seeds was 6.9% (d.b.). The results obtained show that the modi.cations of moisture content of sa.ower seed caused a little variation in its size, its hull thickness being the most a.ected. The volume and weight of the seed, the expansion coe.cient, the equivalent diameter and the sphericity increased lineally with the increase in the seed moisture content. The true density varied nonlinearly in the considered range of moisture content. At the same time, an increase in moisture content yields a decrease in bulk density trend and an increased linearly for the porosity of the bed of grain. Under compression, the seeds rupture force is in the range of 40 N?20 N for vertical and horizontal loading orientation, the seeds are more .exible in the horizontal loading direction, and the rupture under vertical loading direction requires less energy than under horizontal loading.