3 research outputs found
Development and Process Optimization of a Ready-to-Eat Snack from Rice-Cowpea Composite by a Twin Extruder
A central composite rotatable design with four independent variables viz. blend ratio
(broken rice flour and cowpea flour): 90:10–70:30, moisture content (10–18% wet basis), barrel
temperature (110–150 ◦C), and screw speed (280–360 rpm) were varied in the development of
ready-to-eat snacks using a twin extruder for a broken rice–cowpea product. The effects of the
independent variables on specific mechanical energy, water absorption index, water solubility index,
total color, hardness, bulk density, expansion ratio, and overall acceptability of the extruded snack
were investigated using regression analysis. The results showed that the physical qualities of the
ready-to-eat snacks were significantly affected by the extrusion parameters (i.e., blend ratio, barrel
temperature, moisture content, and screw speed). From the findings, it was observed that screw
speed and moisture contents affected hardness, while water absorption index was affected by all
the extrusion parameters. However, the water solubility index and overall acceptance were majorly
affected by the moisture content; extrudate produced with barrel ratio of 85:15, 12% moisture content,
barrel temperature of 140 â—¦C, and screw speed of 300 rpm was the most acceptable, at 6.73 on a 9 point
hedonic scales. The blend ratio and barrel temperature influenced the expansion. Furthermore,
the combination of cowpea and broken rice to produce nutritious ready-to-eat snacks has high
acceptability and is a promising panacea for food security.
Keywords: broken rice; cowpea; extrusion; food security and ready-to-eat snack
Mathematical modelling of drying parameters of Moringa oleifera leaves in a cabinet dryer
This study focused on drying moringa leaves using a cabinet dryer. The impact of the 40, 50, and 60 °C drying
air temperatures on the moisture content of the leaves at a constant air velocity with variation in weight (40, 80, and
120 g) was considered. Ten drying models were fitted to the drying data to describe the drying parameters of moringa
leaves. The best model was chosen based on the highest coefficient of determination (R2
), and the lowest sum of square
error (SSE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values. The Henderson and Pabis model best described the drying
characteristics of the moringa leaves having the highest R2
(0.9888) and lowest SSE (0.0401) and RMSE (0.0604). The
effective moisture diffusivity increased with the temperatures ranging from 8.72 × 10–9 to 1.40 × 10–8 m2
·s–1. The activation energy ranged from 90.4636, 40.4884, and 22.7466 KJ·mol–1 for 40, 80, and 120 g, respectivel
Development and Process Optimization of a Ready-to-Eat Snack from Rice-Cowpea Composite by a Twin Extruder
A central composite rotatable design with four independent variables viz. blend ratio
(broken rice flour and cowpea flour): 90:10–70:30, moisture content (10–18% wet basis), barrel
temperature (110–150 ◦C), and screw speed (280–360 rpm) were varied in the development of
ready-to-eat snacks using a twin extruder for a broken rice–cowpea product. The effects of the
independent variables on specific mechanical energy, water absorption index, water solubility index,
total color, hardness, bulk density, expansion ratio, and overall acceptability of the extruded snack
were investigated using regression analysis. The results showed that the physical qualities of the
ready-to-eat snacks were significantly affected by the extrusion parameters (i.e., blend ratio, barrel
temperature, moisture content, and screw speed). From the findings, it was observed that screw
speed and moisture contents affected hardness, while water absorption index was affected by all
the extrusion parameters. However, the water solubility index and overall acceptance were majorly
affected by the moisture content; extrudate produced with barrel ratio of 85:15, 12% moisture content,
barrel temperature of 140 â—¦C, and screw speed of 300 rpm was the most acceptable, at 6.73 on a 9 point
hedonic scales. The blend ratio and barrel temperature influenced the expansion. Furthermore,
the combination of cowpea and broken rice to produce nutritious ready-to-eat snacks has high
acceptability and is a promising panacea for food securit