Soaking Of Wheat Grains and Soybean Seeds in Vacuum Conditions

摘要

The wetting process of cereal grains and legume seeds was investigated by many researchers. The process included into technologies of processing this raw material both as a main technological operation - e.g. soaking of barley and wheat for malting - and as preparatory process (treatment before dehulling of legume seeds or before addition of whole grain to baked products). Wheat grain and soybean seeds were used as a material for testing. The soaking process was carried out on the stand consisted of a laboratory vacuum chamber, vacuum pump and the ultrathermostate. The pressure was apllied within the range of 5 - 100 kPa (atmospherical pressure) and the temperature was 15 deg C. Materials were soaked in short water-material contact time carrying out for 30 s till 60 min. After wetting the moisture content of grains and seeds were tested. The changes in morphological structure during the study was observed. Soybean and wheat grains absorbed more water with decreasing the pressure and increasing the temperature and soaking time. The dependence between moisture content of raw materials and the studied factors in form of graphs are presented. Besides the changes in morphological structure in form of photos and microscopic pictures are presented. The statistical tests of significance of influence all the factors on moisture content of grains and seeds and the regression analysis were executed. These tests confirmed that investigated raw materials soaked in vacuum conditions absorbed even 10% more water, than wetted in atmospherical pressure. The visible changes in structure of material on photos and pictures were also observed.