Akio Tagawa

Water Absorption Characteristics and Volume Changes of Milled and Brown Rice During Soaking

ABSTRACT The water absorption characteristics and volume changes of rice with various degrees of milling during soaking were measured at five temperatures (5–40°C). The measured data were fitted to the exact solution for the infinite plane sheet diffusion model, which is an exact solution for the diffusion equation. The measured results agreed well with the model. The effects of temperature and the degree of milling on the water absorption rate constant were investigated. Volume changes of samples were determined by measuring particle density and bulk density. An empirical equation relating the moisture content of the sample during soaking and at temperatures of 10–50°C to specific volume was derived. In addition, bulk density was related to the quadratic function of the moisture content of the sample during soaking.

Simultaneous Estimation of the Thermophysical Properties of Selected Liquid Dairy Products by a Transient Heat Flow Probe Method

The thermophysical properties of reconstituted whole milk, skim milk, and whey were measured at various temperatures and concentrations. A new method for the simultaneous determination of thermophysical properties using a modified version of current probe theory method was proposed. Two new correction coefficients were introduced, and using the values of these coefficients and an approximate solution of the heat conduction equation, the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of each sample were determined. The specific heat of each sample was estimated from the definition of thermal diffusivity. These properties were expressed as a function of concentration and temperature.

Simultaneous Estimation and Modeling of Thermophysical Properties of Big-Eyed Tuna and Pacific Cod

The thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat) of big-eyed tuna and pacific cod were measured at various temperatures (5–50°C) by the modified version of current probe method. The optimal prediction models for these thermophysical properties were determined. The random model was applied to predict the thermal conductivity of seafood in a wide range of temperature and it provided the accurate predictions for the samples. The thermal diffusivities of the samples could be predicted by Martens’s equation. An additive relationship exists between the specific heat of the sample, the composition, and the specific heat of each component.