Lesson Unit One

Physical Properties of Biological

Materials

Prof. DAN Dharmasena

Professor in Postharvest Engineering & Technology
Dept. of Agric. Engineering

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 One Physical property at a glance

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 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
 References:
1. Nuri N. Mohsenin, Physical Properties of Plant and
Animal Materials (1986) Gordon and Breach Science
publishers, New York.
2. Nuri N. Mohsenin, 1980. Thermal properties of foods
and agricultural materials
3. P. H. Pandey, Principles and Practices of Postharvest
Technology, Third edition (2002) Kalyani Publishers.
ISBN 81-7096-632-9

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 1.0 Introduction
 Agricultural produce (plant and animal
material) is subjected to various handling and
processing practices.
Ie. Mechanical handling,
Thermal processing,
Optical testing,
Electromagnetic testing (Microwave & IR heating)
Washing and
handling in water etc. Applications are ever increasing.
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Little is known about basic physical
characteristics and other properties:
• Specific heat and other thermal characteristics
• Electrical conductivity
• Dielectric constants (parameter on reaction to
electromagnetic waves)
• Light transmittance characteristics
• Mechanical properties: stress-strain behaviour
Resistance to compression, Impact & Shear
Coefficient of friction etc.
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 Exposure to electro
magnetic radiation
Air (ε’ =1)
Incident
ray Reflected rays


(40 <ε’<70)

Food

Transmitted
rays
Air (ε’ =1)
ε’ =dielectric constant/permittivity
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What is the importance?
 

Information of physical properties is essential in

1. Design of new machines, structures, processes and
controls
2.  For the determination of machine or operation
efficiency
3. Developing new consumer products of plant or animal
origin
4.   In quality evaluation for final product consistency

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Who needs this information?

• Agric/Food. Engineers

• Food scientists
• Food processors
• Plant and animal breeders/Biotechnologists

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 Corn in the field
Physical properties to predict harvest maturity Applications
Harvesting example
As Livestock Forage As Grain
Resistance to cutting, chopping, Resistance to detachment from the cob,
Shredding Aerodynamic properties: in cleaning
Aerodynamic properties: Blowing, Electrical, Optical properties: MC
conveying determination
Compaction and load distribution Thermal Prop: Drying, Heat treatment,
in silo (for Loading, storage and Cooling
unloading Frictional Prop: Silo design, Conveying
Flow properties: Conveying

As Food As Livestock Feed

Moisture sorption properties: storage,
drying, packaging Mechanical Prop: Grinding and
Viscoelastic properties: Milling mixing
Rheological Prop: Extrusion Flow properties:
Aerodynamic & Hydrodynamic: Cleaning, Mechanical/pneumatic conveying
Conveying Rheological Prop: Conveying as
Physical Processes: Shelling, Cleaning, liquid feed
Polishing, drying, aspiration …etc.

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 1.2    Physical characteristics
Shape size Volume Surface area
Density Porosity Colour Appearance

  Applications:

Shape and dimensions

• Design of grain cleaners, Cooling time calculation
of fruits
• Design of grain and other conveyors
• Quality control of fruit and vegetables
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Skip next
Physical characteristics conti..
Density and specific gravity
• Cleaning and separation,
• sorting and grading

Surface colour and appearance:

• Colour sorting, Selective
harvesting, grading

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 1.3 Mechanical Properties:
Load deformation characteristics,
• Impact and shear resistance: in size reduction-
energy estimation
• Static and sliding coefficient of friction: Handling
& processing machine design, Design of storage
structure
• Compressibility: bailing, silo design, method of
compressing

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Ideal elastic – demonstrated for less than 0.1%
strains – Reiner 1960
Not in existence for real materials!!!!!

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>

>
Unloading Unloading Unloading

<
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Linear elasticity Non-linear Inelasticity of

Steel elasticity of dry corn kernel
rubber
Hookean
Non-Hookean Inelastic (viscoelastic)

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 Static

Density compression
kg/m3

Vibration

Impact

Time minutes

The highest compression of silage is obtained by?

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• Shearing resistance and cutting forces:
• Paddy de-husking, peeling
• Fruit and vegetable size reduction
• Manual harvesting or
• Harvesting machines
(Cutting forces)

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1.4  Thermal properties
• Specific heat: Design of dryers,
heat-processing systems
• Other thermal properties:
Thermal conductivity,
T. Diffusivity,
Surface conductance,
Emmisivity

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1.4  Electrical Properties

• In handling and processing

• Electrical conductance – In MC
determination
• Capacitance – In MC determination
• Dielectric properties – heating, microwave
heating
• Reaction to electromagnetic fields–
electrostatic separation, Electroporation of
Cell Membranes
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1.4  Optical properties

• Light transmittance and

reflective properties for:

• Sorting and grading

• Maturity and surface colour determination
• Grain cracks
• Blood spots and green rot in eggs

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