PREDICTION OF KERNEL AND BULK VOLUME OF WHEAT AND CANOLA DURING ADSORPTION AND DESORPTION

摘要

Information on the shrinkage of grain both in bulk and as individual kernels is important in postharvest processing of these materials. The mass and volume of samples of wheat and canola seeds exposed either to humid or dry air were measured during adsorption or desorption cycles. When the grains were exposed to 90% r.h. at 40 degrees C, the bulk density of wheat decreased almost linearly from 790 to 686 kg/m(3) as the kernel moisture content increased from 8% to 22% w.b. The bulk density of canola descreased by 11 kg/m(3), from 672 to 661 kg/m(3) as the kernel moisture content increased from 5% to 19% w.b. The laws of mixtures were used to develop the following equations to predict grain kernel (upsilon(k)) and grain bulk volume (upsilon(b)) respectively as functions of moisture adsorption or desorption: