A study on diffusion of water by the soybean grain during cold water soaking

Effect of Parboiling Conditions on Physical and Cooking Quality of Selected Rice Varieties

Most locally cultivated rice varieties in Ethiopia have low physical (low head rice yield, high broken rice yield, and high percentage of chalkiness) and cooking qualities (low water uptake ratio and swelling ratio). Parboiling, a process which involves soaking, steaming, and drying, has been identified as a key technique to improve cooking and milling quality of rice. The current study is aimed at elucidating the effect of parboiling on physical and cooking qualities of three rice varieties (Gumara, Edget, and Narica4) collected from Fogera National Rice Research and Training Center, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Each rice variety was subjected to different soaking temperatures (40°C, 50°C, 60°C, 70°C, and 80°C) and steaming time (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes). The treatment effect results indicated that parboiling has a significant effect (P < 0.05) on head rice yield and percentage of broken rice with increased soaking temperature and steaming time as compared to the control. For instance, percent head rice yield increased as soaking temperature (from 40 to 80°C) and steaming time (from 10 to 50 min) increased: for Gumara, from 4.07 to 93.6%, for Edget, 9.47 to 96.53, and from 3.20 to 91.67 for Narica4. Percentage chalkiness had decreased as soaking temperature and steaming time increased: 97.33% to 0.00% for Gumara, 97.80% to 0.00% for Edget, and 100.00% to 0.13% for Narica4 as compared to 100% for control of all varieties. The minimum cooking time was identified as 16-23 min for Gumara, 16-23 min for Edget, and 15-20 min for Narica4 rice varieties. The result of the present study clearly showed that parboiling with high soaking temperature and steaming time increased the head rice yield, water uptake ratio, decreased percentage chalkiness, and enhanced the overall quality of the rice varieties.

Effect of Vacuum Soaking on the Properties of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

The water absorption of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) during soaking is directly related to their textural characteristics and grinding properties during processing. In this study, we determined the effects of vacuum soaking on the absorption of water and salt solutions by soybeans. We also analyzed the textural characteristics and grinding properties of soybeans soaked under atmospheric and vacuum pressures (0.02–0.08 MPa) for 8 and 16 h. The results showed that vacuum soaking promoted the absorption of water and NaHCO3 solution. Vacuum soaking also decreased the hardness of soybeans. Soaking under vacuum significantly shortened the soaking time required for soybeans. Additionally, the protein content was higher in soymilk made from vacuum-soaked soybeans than in soymilk made from soybeans soaked under atmospheric pressure.

Changes on image texture features of breakfast flakes cereals during water absorption

Normally breakfast cereal flakes are consumed by pouring them into a bowl and covering them with fresh or cold milk. During this process the liquid uptake causes changes in the surface and internal matrix of breakfast cereals that influence texture and integrity. Some breakfast cereal as flakes have a translucent structure that could provide information about the solid matrix and air cells and how they change during liquid absorption. The objective of the study was to assess the image texture changes of corn flakes and frosted flakes during water absorption at 5, 15 and 25 °C, employing 11 image feature textures extracted from grey-level co-occurrence matrix and grey-level run length matrix (at three directions) and to relate the fractal dimension (FD) of images with rupture force (RF) reduction during soaking of both flakes at 5 °C. The most relevant result from principal component analysis calculated with a matrix of 54 (soaking times) × 22 (texture features), shows that it was possible to distinguish an isolated group consisting of different soaking times at the same water temperature in each breakfast cereal flakes evaluated, corroborating that superficial liquid imbibition is important during the liquid absorption process when flakes are soaked. Furthermore, standardized FD could be related to RF in the period when samples tend to search for an equilibrium state.

Physical properties and microstructural changes during soaking of individual corn and quinoa breakfast flakes

The importance of breakfast cereal flakes (BCF) in Western diets deserves an understanding of changes in their mechanical properties and microstructure that occur during soaking in a liquid (that is, milk or water) prior to consumption. The maximum rupture force (RF) of 2 types of breakfast flaked products (BFP)--corn flakes (CF) and quinoa flakes (QF)--were measured directly while immersed in milk with 2% of fat content (milk 2%) or distilled water for different periods of time between 5 and 300 s. Under similar soaking conditions, QF presented higher RF values than CF. Soaked flakes were freeze-dried and their cross section and surface examined by scanning electron microscopy. Three consecutive periods (fast, gradual, and slow reduction of RF) were associated with changes in the microstructure of flakes. These changes were more pronounced in distilled water than in milk 2%, probably because the fat and other solids in milk become deposited on the flakes' surface hindering liquid infiltration. Structural and textural modifications were primarily ascribable to the plasticizing effect of water that softened the carbohydrate/protein matrix, inducing partial collapse of the porous structure and eventually disintegration of the whole piece through deep cracks.

Uptake of tritiated liquids by individual breakfast cereal flakes

Surface liquid adhesion (SLA) and liquid absorption (LA) of tritiated liquids, including water and skim, low-fat, whole, and fat-enriched milks, by cornflakes (CF) and frosted flakes (FF) were determined by scintillation counting using water-[(3)H] at 0.5 microCi/mL. SLA or the liquid adhering to individual flakes after a short immersion period was the same for CF and FF in the case of water (approximately 0.011 microL mm(-2) of flake) but were always higher for CF than for FF and increased as the fat content in milks augmented. LA of individual flakes, followed for 300 s of soaking, increased with time and was always higher for CF than for FF (for the same liquid), however, data did not follow a regular pattern. Flakes showed quite compact outer surfaces and an internal porous matrix composed of air cells of various sizes separated by dense walls of different thicknesses. This heterogeneous microstructure of individual flakes may be the cause of the lack of a simple kinetics during the soaking process. Previous results obtained by soaking a mass of flakes overestimated the uptake of fluid by individual because they included the liquid occluded between the flakes.