Effect of accelerated storage on chemical compositions of mango seed fat and palm oil mid-fraction blends as cocoa butter replacers

In this study, mango seed fat (MSF) and its recommended blends were stored under accelerated condition. During the accelerated storage, the changes of fatty acids, total phenolic, tocopherol, and phytosterol contents, iodine, free fatty acid (FFA), and peroxide values were examined every six days. Results upon storage, palmitic and stearic acids increased from 18.0 to 22.5% and from 33.3 to 36.7%, while oleic and linoleic acids decreased from 40.5 to 34.3% and from 5.4 to 2.1% in blend containing 85 g MSF/100 g fat. The iodine values of MSF and its recommended blends decreased (48.2 ± 1.2 to 32.0 ± 0.8 g iodine/100 g fat), while the peroxide (1.1–4.2 ± 0.0 milliequivalent O2/kg fat) and FFA (1.8–3.9 ± 0.0 g/100 g of fat) values increased after accelerated storage. The results obtained from this study provide an indication about the storage stability of MSF and its blends as cocoa butter replacers to food industry, in particular chocolate industry

The effect of particle size on physicochemical and thermal analysis of rice husk for explosion studies

The effect of rice husk particle size on physicochemical and thermal behaviour was studied for identify whether it has the potential to explode. The thermal degradation of the lignocellulosic constituent in rice husk was evaluated via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Rice husk morphology and elemental composition were evaluated via scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). Results showed that the rice husk samples were richer in cellulose than in lignin in terms of weight percent, indicating that they were combustible. Uncontrolled combustion propagation can lead to an explosion. However, the presence of ±5 wt% silicon in rice husk may reduce the explosion severity due to its low thermal conductivity. Furthermore, the smallest particle size, 71 μm recorded faster thermal degradation and more explosive as compared to 106, 160 and 250 μm. This preliminary data is very useful to improve the safety technique specifically for rice husk dust explosion protection, prevention, and mitigation