Monitoring and modelling of moisture content with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)

Selçuk B., ÖZTOP H. M., ÇEKMECELİOĞLU D.

International Journal of Food Engineering, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1515/ijfe-2023-0078
  • Journal Name: International Journal of Food Engineering
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, CAB Abstracts, Compendex, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, INSPEC, Veterinary Science Database
  • Keywords: drying, moisture content analysis, moisture variation, MRI, TD-NMR
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the variation of the moisture content and drying rate over time, temperature, and position by NMR techniques. Chickpea puree was selected for drying, and the drying experiments were performed at 50-70 » °C for 3 » h using cylindrical shaped samples with dimensions of 6 » cm × 1 » cm. The moisture contents of samples were measured using oven, time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods. The change in moisture content and drying rate with temperature and position was evident. Hence, the drying rates ranged at 0.34-0.44 kgH2O/m2h and drying times were estimated as 440-320 » min for 50-70 » °C and r = 1-3 » cm. It was concluded that TD-NMR and MRI methods were effective, high-sensitive and precise in estimating moisture content during chickpea drying process.