Dielectric properties assessment of honey by using non-destructive dielectric spectroscopy

<p>In this research the dielectric constant of three types of Malaysian honey has been investigated using a non-destructive measurement technique. The objective of this research is to assess the dielectric constant of the three types of honey in Malaysia using a non-destructive measurement technique known as an open-ended coaxial probe in the frequency range from 100 MHz to 10 GHz frequency. Analysis on the effect water concentration in honey on the dielectric constant and the effect of temperature on dielectric constant of honey has been conducted. The three types of honey that have been chosen to be investigated in this project are stingless bee honey, wild honey and commercial (organic) honey and together their water adulterated samples. For this research, the probe had been set up by setting a range of frequency from 100 MHz to 10 GHz and needs to be calibrated with three calibration methods namely open, short and reference water. From the result it was found that the higher the temperature of the honey and the higher percentage of water content in the honey, the dielectric constant is increased. The dielectric constants of all honeys decreased with increasing frequency in the measured frequency range and increased with increase percentage of water content and temperature.</p>

Identification of Proximate Composition of Fermented Chicken Eggs by Using Lactobacillus plantarum with Different Incubation Times

Eggs that have a balanced amino acid content can fullfill protein that needs in humans, However, eggs have a low shelf life so they were easily damaged. Fermentation technology on foodstuffs by using microbes has been widely carried out, among others using Lactobacillus bacteria. The type of Lactobacillus bacteria commonly used in egg fermentation is Lactobacillus plantarum. This study was conducted experimentally by using a completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 treatments and 3 replications each. The treatment was carried out by fermentation with an incubation temperature of 37 oC with different incubation times of 0, 48, and 96 hours with research parameters water content, crude fat, crude fiber, BETN and ash content. The results showed that different incubation time treatments on fermented chicken eggs had a significant effect (P<0.05) on water content, crude fat, crude fiber, BETN and ash content. The nutritional composition of fermented eggs by using L. plantarum could be seen from the decrease in water content, crude fiber and BETN and an increase in crude fat and ash content with increasing incubation time. The value of water content, crude fat, crude fiber, BETN and optimum ash content at an incubation temperature of 37 oC for 96 hours of incubation time.

Estimate Cotton Water Consumption from Shallow Groundwater under Different Irrigation Schedules

Shallow groundwater is considered an important water resource to meet crop irrigation demands. However, limited information is available on the application of models to investigate the impact of irrigation schedules on shallow groundwater depth and estimate evaporation while considering the interaction between meteorological factors and the surface soil water content (SWC). Based on the Richards equation, we develop a model to simultaneously estimate crop water consumption of shallow groundwater and determine the optimal irrigation schedule in association with a shallow groundwater depth. A new soil evaporation function was established, and the control factors were calculated by using only the days after sowing. In this study, two irrigation scheduling methods were considered. In Method A, irrigation was managed based on the soil water content; in Method B, irrigation was based on the crop water demand. In comparison with Method B, Method A was more rational because it could use more groundwater, and the ratio of soil evaporation to total evapotranspiration was low. In this model, the interaction between meteorological factors and the SWC was considered to better reflect the real condition; therefore, the model provided a better way to estimate the crop water consumption.

Experimental Study on the Crushing Properties of Corn Stalks in Square Bales

With the development of straw baling mechanization technology, straw is stored in the form of square baling or round baling. At present, hammer mill or the guilt-cutting and rubbing combined mill is widely used to crush square bales of straw. These two kinds of crushing equipment have disadvantages such as low productivity, large power consumption, and poor crushing effect. This paper aims to study and analyze the crushing characteristics of square baled straw after unbaling, and lay a theoretical foundation for the later research and development of a special square baled straw crusher with high productivity, low power consumption, good crushing effect, and the simulation of the square baled corn straw crushing process. For this purpose, this study carried out a corn bale crushing experiment on the Instron 8801 fatigue test machine, and studied the effects of blade angle, water content and loading speed on corn bale crushing force through the response surface method. Test results showed that the crushing process includes the compression stage and shearing stage; in terms of single factor effect, with the increase in water content and blade angle, the crushing force of the corn bale increased, but the loading speed had no significant effect on the crushing force of the corn bale. In terms of interaction effect, there was interaction effect between moisture content and blade inclination angle, when moisture content was 10%, with the increase in blade inclination angle, the incremental speed of the crushing force also increased gradually. When the blade inclination angle was 10°, with the increase in moisture content, the incremental speed of the crushing force also increased, and the interaction effect of them jointly acted on the crushing force of the corn bales.