A Study of Solvent Extraction of Lipids from Whole Peanut Kernels Using All-Purpose Automatic Solvent Extractor

Extraction of lipids from whole peanut kernels can be accomplished much faster in an automatic solvent extractor with a lower solvent: seed ratio than by immersion or in a Soxhlet extractor. A possible explanation of the function of moisture in the extraction of lipids from the whole peanut kernels has been put forward. This mode of extraction is expected to produce economically fat-lean kernels, while oil is obtained as a co-product.     

ESTIMATION OF MOISTURE LOSS FROM THE COOLING DATA OF POTATOES

A procedure was developed to predict moisture loss from cooling data of potato packed in gunny bags and stacked on wooden platforms in commercial cold stores. To predict the moisture loss, mass transfer coefficients k_cand k_mwere estimated during the storage period, which were found to decrease with time. The calculated time average k_cand k_mvalues were 1.83 × 10^?4 m/s and 2.31 × 10^?10 kg/s·m²·Pa during the transient cooling period and 1.59 × 10^?4 m/s and 2.27 × 10^?10 kg/s·m²·Pa for the rest of the storage period, respectively. The estimated moisture losses were 4.8, 4.74 and 4.78%, at the center of three different stacks, for a storage period of 8 months. The corresponding experimentally measured weight losses at the center of the same stacks were 5.2, 5.1 and 5.26% with a variation of 11, 7.5 and 10.2%, respectively. Therefore, the procedure adopted in this study may be used to assess the moisture loss from potatoes under the different storage conditions. The effect of relative humidity (RH) and potato temperature on moisture loss was also predicted using the developed procedure. Decrease in RH of the storage air increased the moisture loss. The potatoes stored below 85% RH incurred more than 7% water loss. Therefore, 88–90% RH in the cold store may be used to limit the maximum moisture loss within the permissible limit of 5% even after 8 months of storage. It was also found that increasing the potato temperature exponentially increased the rate of moisture loss.     

SURFACE TENSION-DRIVEN CONVECTION IN A CYLINDRICAL GEOMETRY

Three aspects of surface tension-driven natural convection in a bounded cylindrical geometry are investigated. First, the linear stability of the steady subcritical and supercritical convective solutions near the critical point is examined using a perturbation analysis and the theory of differential operators. Second, the effect of small surface tension gradients on free surface flows in deep fluid layers is studied. It is shown that surface tension effects produce subcritical convective solutions for this buoyancy-dominated flow. Finally, solutions are obtained for finite amplitude surface tension-driven flows in a cylindrical container.     

INVESTIGATION INTO THE THEORIES OF DESORPTION ISOTHERMS FOR ROUGH RICE AND PEANUTS

SUMMARY— Several existing mathematical models are investigated with respect to their range of applicability to biological materials. It is found that a logarithmic plot of vapor pressure of water in the material vs. vapor pressure of pure water can best describe the sorption phenomenon. The general form of the equation is: In P = f₁ (W) In P_s+ f₂ (W). The functions f₁ (W) and f₂ (W) may differ significantly from material to material. The method of determining these functional relationships is described in detail for rough rice and peanuts. The comparison of experimental and computed values for peanuts shows that this method can predict the required sorption isotherm data within 2% deviation from the experimental values.     

Ultraviolet sensing properties of polyvinyl alcohol-coated aluminium-doped zinc oxide nanorods

Undoped and aluminium (Al)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods have been synthesized by electrochemical route. The synthesized materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–visible spectrometer and scanning electron microscope. The Al-doped ZnO nanorods have been coated with polyvinyl alcohol. Current–voltage characteristics have been investigated in dark and under UV-light illumination. Aluminium doping in ZnO increase its electrical conductivity and further polyvinyl alcohol coating on Al-doped ZnO increase UV sensitivity of the material. Response and recovery time of Al-doped ZnO and PVA-coated Al-doped ZnO nanorods have been recorded. PVA-coated Al-doped ZnO nanorods shows very fast response and recovery time of 10 s in comparison to uncoated ZnO (20 min) nanorods.     

Optimization of processing parameters in induction hardening using response surface methodology

In this paper, an effective procedure of response surface methodology (RSM) has been utilized for finding the optimal values of process parameters while induction hardening of AISI 1040 under two different conditions of the material i.e., rolled and normalized. Various process parameters, such as feed rate (speed at which the induction coil moves, which is measured in mm/sec), current, dwell time (time after which heat intensity starts to heat work piece in seconds) and gap between the work piece and induction coil have been explored by experiments. Hardness at two different conditions has been considered as performance characteristic. The experiment plan was based on rotatable, central composite design (CCD). The experimental results showed that the proposed mathematical models suggested could describe the performance indicators within the limits of the factors being investigated. The obtained optimal process parameters have been predicted and verified by confirmation experiments. Microstructure and SEM (scanning electron microscope) analyses were also done for justification of the work.     

CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF A 6000 m SOLAR POND AT KUTCH, INDIA

A 6000 m² solar pond was constructed at Bhuj in India in the premises of a milk processing dairy plant to supply process heat and demonstrate the technical and economic viability of solar pond technology in the Indian context. An inexpensive lining scheme, consisting of alternating layers of clay and LDPE (low density polyethylene) combination was used for lining the pond. The pond attained a maximum temperature of 99.8°C under stagnation in May 1991 but developed leakage soon after. A failure analysis that was carried out subsequently indicated that the leakage was caused by the combination of high stagnation temperature and large air pockets below the liner. The lining scheme was re-designed and the pond re-established in June 1993. Hot water supply to the dairy started in September 1993 and continued until April 1995. After an interruption of nearly one year, hot water was resumed in August 1996. The total cost of construction of the Bhuj Solar Pond was US$90 000 (1997 prices), including heat exchanger and piping etc., corresponding to a unit cost of US$15 m⁻².     

Iodine potassium iodide improves the contrast‐to‐noise ratio of micro‐computed tomography images of the human middle ear

High‐resolution imaging of middle‐ear geometry is necessary for finite‐element modeling. Although micro‐computed tomography (microCT) is widely used because of its ability to image bony structures of the middle ear, it is difficult to visualize soft tissues – including the tympanic membrane and the suspensory ligaments/tendons – because of lack of contrast. The objective of this research is to quantitatively evaluate the efficacy of iodine potassium iodide (IKI) solution as a contrast agent. Six human temporal bones were used in this experiment, which were obtained in right‐left pairs, from three cadaveric heads. All bones were fixed using formaldehyde. Three bones (one from each pair) were stained in IKI solution for 2 days, whereas the other three were not stained. Samples were scanned using a microCT system at a resolution of 20 μm. Eight soft tissues in the middle ear were segmented: anterior mallear ligament, incudomallear joint, lateral mallear ligament, posterior incudal ligament, stapedial annular ligament, stapedius muscle, tympanic membrane and tensor tympani muscle. Contrast‐to‐noise ratios (CNRs) of each soft tissue were calculated for each temporal bone. Combined CNRs of the soft tissues in unstained samples were 6.1 ± 3.0, whereas they were 8.1 ± 2.7 in stained samples. Results from Welch's t‐test indicate significant difference between the two groups at a 95% confidence interval. Results for paired t‐tests for each of the individual soft tissues also indicated significant improvement of contrast in all tissues after staining. Relatively large soft tissues in the middle ear such as the tympanic membrane and the tensor tympani muscle were impacted by staining more than smaller tissues such as the stapedial annular ligament. The increase in contrast with IKI solution confirms its potential application in automatic segmentation of the middle‐ear soft tissues.     

LUBRICITY INDEX OF MAYONNAISE

The Lubricity Index (LI) is defined as a new parameter to quantitatively evaluate mouthfeel. Rheological data were collected using a helical ribbon mixer viscometer with commercial mayonnaise products. The LI is calculated from changes in apparent viscosity due to temperature and moisture variations that mirror those found in the mouth during mastication. The rate of change in apparent viscosity with moisture and temperature was much lower with a fat free product than regular products resulting in a low LI value. The LI provides a basis for future efforts to understand, and mathematically model, the complicated process of fluid food mastication.     

Optimization of process parameters for the development of a cheese analogue from pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and soy milk using response surface methodology

Response surface methodology was used to optimize starter culture concentration (3–7%), pigeon pea–soy solids ratio (1 : 0.3–1 : 1.1), pigeon pea–water ratio (1 : 12–1 : 9), incubation temperature (37–45C) and coagulation temperature (75–95C) in the development of a cheese analogue from pigeon pea and soy milk. Pigeon pea milk and soy milk were prepared by a hot water grinding method, followed by filtration and inoculation. Cheese analogue was obtained through coagulation of the fermented milk by boiling for 15 min, followed by filtration using double-layered muslin cloth and pressing at 1 kg/cm ² pressure for 1 h. The results showed that the total solids recovery (TSR), protein content, fat content and pH varied from 51.09–62.61%, 40.04–55.93%, 9.35–15.36% and 4.48–4.9, respectively, depending on the experimental conditions. The optimum conditions of process parameters for maximum total solids recovery were 6.0% starter culture concentration, 1 : 0.4 pigeon pea–soy solids ratio, 1 : 11 pigeon pea–water ratio, 40.5C incubation temperature and 88.5C coagulation temperature.