Now showing 1 - 10 of 21
  • Publication
    Infrared drying of Clinacanthus nutans leaves
    ( 2022-03-01) ;
    Yusof Y.A.
    ;
    Rukunudin I.H.
    ;
    Abdul Karim Shah N.N.
    ;
    Clinacanthus nutans herbal leaf was dried using an infrared dryer under different power levels (100 W, 200 W, and 300 W) and at different distances between infrared source and samples (10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm). Results showed that the drying rate increased when power levels increased and distances decreased. There were found that Midili and Kucuk, Modified Henderson and Pabis, Verma, Two Term, and Wang and Singh gave the best fitting to the experimental moisture ratio for a specific drying treatment. The moisture diffusivity values determined were 4 Ã— 10−11 to 3.09 Ã— 10−10 m2/ s and the activation energy values ranged from 30.81 to 50.58 W/g. Infrared drying can be an option for quick preservation technique for C. nutans herbal leaves as it gave a shorter drying time which could optimize the energy usage. Novelty impact statement: The drying rate of C. nutans leaves was able to increase at a faster rate by infrared radiation as compared to the conventional methods. This result gave a significant reduction of drying time that may reduce energy consumption and enhance the physicochemical properties of the herb.
  • Publication
    Hot Air Drying of Brazilian Spinach Leaves
    (Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 2024-03-01) ;
    Lim Teik Wei
    ;
    ;
    Brazilian spinach is one of the best leafy vegetables with tons of nutrients and has a range of health benefits. Its quality also determines the acceptance of customers to buy and consume it. The common method to extend the shelf life of the spinach is through drying treatment and preserving the color and texture quality of the leaves. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the drying characteristics of Brazilian spinach and investigate the effect of drying temperature on the color and texture quality of Brazilian spinach. Brazilian spinach leaves were dried using a hot air dryer under different temperatures (30, 50, 70 and 90°C). Results showed that the drying rate increased when temperature increased. It was found that the Midili model gave the best fitting to the experimental moisture ratio for a specific drying treatment. Drying the Brazilian spinach leaves at 50°C was the best condition for preserving their color and texture properties.
      4  17
  • Publication
    The Effect of Infrared Drying on Orthosiphon Stamineus Leaves Quality
    ( 2021-01-01)
    Palanisamy V.V.
    ;
    ; ;
    Ismail K.A.
    ;
    ;
    Sulong M.M.S.
    ;
    Alkhayyat A.
    ;
    ;
    Salah O.R.
    The dryer system is an important part of the drying of food and herbs, among other things. As a result, a special dryer is needed to keep the food or herbs fresh for as long as possible without killing the good nutrients. In this project, Orthosiphon stamineus herb will be used to dry using an Infrared dryer. Infrared drying involves transferring heat by radiation from a hot source to a lower-temperature substance that has to be heated or dried. The temperature of the heated element determines the peak wavelength of the radiation. The purpose of this project is to design an infrared dryer system and analyze the quality of the dried herb. The Orthosiphon Stamineus have been dried using a 200W Infrared dryer system at 60°C for 2hours. Total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay and evaluated using a UV/VIS Spectrophotometer, respectively. A moisture analyzer was used to look at the changes in moisture content, and a colorimeter was used to look at the colour changes. The result showed that drying O.stamineus under 60°C has significantly affected the herbal leaves quality in terms of moisture content, colour properties, Antioxidant capacity, and Total phenolic content.
      25  1
  • Publication
    The effect of different khaya senegalensis raw feedstock particle sizes on solid fuel pellet quality
    In recent years, the usage and demand for biomass pellet has been increasing due to the need of substitution for non-renewable energy source. Therefore, high quality solid fuel is in need to cater this demand. Pellet qualities such as durability, calorific value and density are different depending on the type of material, size of particle and the density of the feedstock. In this study, the durability, calorific value and unit density of Khaya Senegalensis pellet was investigated. This was done to identify the optimum particle size to obtain the best qualities of pellet possible. The ground biomass material was separated into 0.15 mm, 0.50 mm and 1.00 mm particle sizes, pelletized and ultimately the pellet durability, calorific value and unit density were tested in this study. It was found that 0.15 mm particle size resulted in the highest pellet durability, and density value. 1.00 mm particle size pellet has the highest calorific value. As a conclusion, different raw biomass feedstock particle size will affect the durability, density and calorific value of pellet.
      37  1
  • Publication
    Hot air drying of Brazilian spinach leaves
    Brazilian spinach is one of the best leafy vegetables with tons of nutrients and has a range of health benefits. Its quality also determines the acceptance of customers to buy and consume it. The common method to extend the shelf life of the spinach is through drying treatment and preserving the color and texture quality of the leaves. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the drying characteristics of Brazilian spinach and investigate the effect of drying temperature on the color and texture quality of Brazilian spinach. Brazilian spinach leaves were dried using a hot air dryer under different temperatures (30, 50, 70 and 90C). Results showed that the drying rate increased when temperature increased. It was found that the Midili model gave the best fitting to the experimental moisture ratio for a specific drying treatment. Drying the Brazilian spinach leaves at 50C was the best condition for preserving their color and texture properties.
      12  32
  • Publication
    The effect of torrefaction reaction temperature on the Elaeis Guineensis Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) pellet durability and calorific value
    Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) are not being fully utilized for energy production due to its high moisture content, low density, having bulky characteristics and low calorific value. In order to improve characteristic of Elaeis Guineensis empty fruit bunch as fuel, pre-treatment process is necessary to overcome these shortcomings. Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the effect of torrefaction reaction temperature on the Elaeis Guineensis pellet energy characteristics. The observed pellet qualities include the pellet durability and calorific value of the pellet. The torrefaction of empty fruit bunch was conducted in a fixed-bed reactor at 200°C, 220°C, 240°C and 260°C. The torrefied sample was pelletized, analysed and tested to examine the characteristics of empty fruit bunch biomass as fuel. The pelletization process was carried out by using the cold single press pelletizer and using cassava starch as binder. At higher torrefaction temperature, the decomposition of cellulose and lignin become more prominent. At the torrefaction temperature 260°C, the gross calorific value is the highest due to the removal of moisture, release of volatile matter and the decomposition of biomass components such as hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin which resulted in energy densification. By comparing the torrefied empty fruit bunch at 260°C with the untorrefied empty fruit bunch, it was found that the torrefaction increased the energy densification and pellet qualities of empty fruit bunch that can be utilized as biomass energy sources in renewable energy.
      28  1
  • Publication
    Total phenolic content and product quality of air-dried, oven-dried and stir-fried mint leaves (Mentha suaveolens)
    (AIP Publishing, 2023)
    Lim Qian Ping
    ;
    ; ;
    So’bah Ahmad
    Drying is essential to prolong the shelf-life of the food but the loss of moisture during drying can accelerate the food quality degradation. This study aims to compare the total phenolic content, color quality and chemical groups of air-dried, oven-dried and stir-fried mint leaves. Air dried leaves were produced after 24 hours drying in an open air condition (25ºC). The mint leaves were processed at 180-200°C for 5 minutes under the stir-frying treatment while oven-dried leaves were produced at 40°C and 60°C for 3 hours in an oven respectively. Total phenolic content, color, and chemical groups of the air-dried, oven-dried and stir-fried mint leaves were determined. Stir-fried mint leaves had the significantly highest total phenolic content (315.09 mg/g) compared with other treatments. As for product quality, the color of mint leaves degraded after thermal treatments and the best drying treatment to preserve the color was oven drying at 60℃. The intensity of the bands at 1598.02-1597.31 cm-1 for aromatic C=C was much higher for the mint leaves under oven-drying at 60°C and stir-frying than for the air-drying and oven-drying at 40°C. High heating temperature in stir frying increased total phenolic content of mint leaves whereas the color quality significantly declined.
      16  2
  • Publication
    The Effect of Different Waste Material Binders in Relation to Khaya Senegalensis Solid Fuel Pellet Quality
    Fuel pellets are an attractive renewable energy source derived from biomass sources thanks to their uniformity and ease of handling. However, raw biomass and waste material binders have several drawbacks, which include poor physical properties, particularly low density and compositional heterogeneity, which restrict their wider use as a general source of energy. Besides, due to the low energy density, low bulk density, and uneven shape and size of raw biomass, it is very difficult to store and transport biomass in its original form, which decreases transport efficiency. This study investigated the effect of waste material binders (rice husk, corn cob, and sugarcane bagasse) on the mechanical and thermal properties of Khaya Senagalensis pellets. The mechanical and thermal properties were determined according to ASTM standards. Waste material binders have affected pellet quality such as density, bulk density, moisture content, durability, compressive strength, shatter index, water resistance, ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and calorific value. From the analysis, sugarcane bagasse as a binder shows the highest quality pellet in terms of mechanical properties. Sugarcane bagasse produces the highest density (0.967g/cm3), bulk density (0.4094), durability (99.71%), shatter index (98.85%), water resistance (98.35%), and thermal properties, which are the highest volatile matter (94.71%) and the lowest ash content (1.71%). In a nutshell, sugarcane bagasse is a good binder that gives a positive impact to the K.senegalensis pellets in terms of storage and transportation compared to corn cob and rice husk binder.
      37  1
  • Publication
    Pulsed UV Integrated Infrared Dryer System for Orthosiphon Stamineus Herb.
    The drying system is an important part for food and herbs preservation. Therefore, an effective drying system are needed to ensure the increase the shelf life of the food and herb without degrade its good nutrient and bioactive compound. In this study, Orthosiphon stamineus herb was used to dry using an Infrared dryer and combination of Pulsed UV light treatment + Infrared drying. Infrared drying involves transferring heat by radiation from a hot source to a lower-temperature substance that has to be heated or dried, meanwhile the pulsed UV light is a non-thermal treatment. The temperature of the heated element determines the peak wavelength of the radiation. The objective of this study is to design an infrared dryer system and analyze the quality of the dried herb. The Orthosiphon Stamineus have been dried using a 200W Infrared dryer system at 60°C. Total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were determined using the Folin- Ciocalteu method and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay measured using a UV/VIS Spectrophotometer. A moisture analyzer was used to look at the changes in moisture content, and a colorimeter was used to look at the colour changes. The result showed that drying Orthosiphon stamineus by using an Infrared dryer and combination of Pulsed UV light treatment + Infrared drying under 60°C has significantly affected the herbal leaves quality in terms of moisture content, colour properties, Antioxidant capacity, and Total phenolic content.
      32  2
  • Publication
    Estimating shelf-life of fresh Brazilian spinach: Paper and plastic packaging
    The selection of packing materials is an important factor to prolong the shelf life of food products, especially for perishable foods or produces. This research was conducted to determine the effect of packing materials (papers and plastics) on fresh Brazilian spinach leaves quality such as moisture content, water activity and total color difference (Δη). The samples were stored at ambient temperature (25 °C) for 16 days. The moisture content and water activity of the samples were measure by moisture analyzer and water activity meter, respectively. The total color difference (Δη) was calculated based on L∗, a∗ and b∗ parameters. Generally, based on overall results, the packing materials significantly affected the quality of fresh Brazilian spinach leaves throughout 16 days of storage period. The results asserted that the paper materials are not suitable to use to pack fresh Brazilian spinach leaves for long period. It is also not recommended to use any paper material to pack fresh produce, especially perishable vegetables and fruits, in protecting their quality. The use of HDPE and PP plastics is recommended to prolong the shelf life of the fresh Brazilian spinach leaves. However, it has a limitation in controlling the changes of leaves color.
      2  34