Determination of Selected Physical Properties of Fluted Pumpkin Seed (Telfairia Occidentalis) Related to Machine Design
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
Some engineering parameters needed in the form of physical properties of fluted pumpkin seed to design, construct and analyse processing, storage and handling machines/facilities are not readily available. Therefore, this study was done to
determine the following physical properties of the seed for three different varieties: size (major diameter, intermediate diameter and minor diameter), mass, surface area, volume, density and geometric mean diameter. Mature pods (13
weeks old) were procured from the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) Ibadan, Nigeria and were classified as NHTo-1, NHTo-2 and NHTo-3 by NIHORT. One hundred (100) seed samples were selected from each variety after sun drying to an average moisture content of 67.734% (wb). In summary, the following range of mean values (± standard deviation) of results were obtained: major diameter (29.968 ± 2.146 mm – 37.320 ± 2.867 mm);
intermediate diameter (9.184 ± 2.061 mm – 31.020 ± 3.892 mm); minor diameter (5.421 ± 3.757 mm – 37.156 ± 2.859 mm); mass (0.992 ± 0.236 g -7.870 ± 1.318g); volume (4.400 ± 1.653 mm³- 8.399 ± 0.600 mm³) x
); density (0.136 ± 0.125 g/mm³- 2.010 ± 0. 827 g/mm³) x ); surface area (1013.16 ± 534.552 mm2
– 1584.788 ± 197.61 mm2), and geometric mean diameter (22.267 ± 1.402- 25.359 ± 2.873 mm). The values of physical properties obtained are relevant in designing machines for the handling, processing, packaging and storage of fluted pumpkin seeds.
Description
Keywords
Physical properties, engineering parameters, varieties, fluted pumpkin seed