Search Results (7)

Research is needed to improve walnut drying throughput and energy consumption in hulling plants, but current methods for sampling nuts in commercial drying bins and measuring nut moisture content limit the capacity to investigate the drying process thoroughly. A novel apparatus for obtaining walnut samples at multiple depths and locations in stadium drying bins and a novel rapid method for accurately determining walnut in-shell moisture content were developed. A second rapid moisture measurement method involving near-infrared light (NIR) was also investigated. The sampling apparatus consisted of three sampling columns installed in each walnut drying bin. Each column had gate valves at four elevations, admitting approximately 30 in-shell walnuts to rectangular buckets hanging on a cable just below each gate valve. To collect samples, the gates were opened and closed, the buckets were withdrawn, the nut samples were collected and sealed in labeled bags, and then the buckets were returned to the column to be ready for the next sampling interval. This configuration, sampling nuts at four levels across three locations in the drying bin, allowed better moisture content variability investigation during in-bin walnut drying. The rapid moisture content measurement method consisted of selecting twelve representative in-shell walnuts from each sample and grinding them in a mill. Twelve grams were sub-sampled from the well-mixed ground material and dried in an oven at 105 ± 1 °C for 3 h, then reweighed to determine moisture loss. The coefficient of variation for sub-samples within an individual sample (n = 4) averaged 2.65% for moisture contents ranging from 6% to 47% dry basis. The rapid moisture content measurement method reduced the drying time from 24 h to 3 h compared to conventional oven drying method, with an accuracy of ±0.5 to 1.5% of the full moisture content range. The best correlation observed between the NIR methodology and the rapid moisture content method was 0.74 R². These new in-bin walnut sampling and moisture-content measurement methods will accelerate future research aimed at improving walnut drying at commercial huller facilities. Full article

Brazil is among the world’s leading exporters of chicken meat, and microbiological evaluation of carcasses is essential to verify process hygiene and safety. This study assessed the microbiological effectiveness and economic impact of two sampling methods for poultry carcasses: the excision of pooled samples of skin and muscle from multiple carcass regions, as recommended by Brazilian authorities, and the excision of neck skin alone. In accordance with Brazilian authorities guidelines requiring carcass evaluation through Enterobacteriaceae counts, these microorganisms were employed to assess contamination across different regions of 90 carcasses. Subsequently, Enterobacteriaceae counts were performed on 144 carcasses using both sampling methods. Mesophilic microorganisms, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus were tested in ten carcasses sampled by both methods to confirm the results obtained from the enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae and results were evaluated using Shapiro–Wilk, Levene, F-test, Kruskal–Wallis, Dunn, and T-test. Additionally, costs related to labor time and protein waste were quantified in 18 slaughterhouses. Results showed that Enterobacteriaceae counts in neck, cloaca, and wing regions were similar but significantly lower than those in pooled dorsal samples (p < 0.05). Neck skin samples were statistically comparable to dorsal pooled samples and exhibited higher contamination than ventral samples, demonstrating equivalent or superior microbiological representativeness. The neck skin method required less time, produced less protein waste, and reduced costs by 99%, indicating a more efficient and cost-effective alternative for microbiological monitoring of poultry carcasses. Full article

The impact velocity of the grains is a critical factor affecting the hulling efficiency in centrifugal hullers. However, significant differences in velocity are observed among paddy grains following acceleration by the impeller. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism responsible for these velocity differences is essential for improving hulling performance. This study employed coupled CFD-DEM simulations to analyse the kinematic behaviour of paddy grains. The results demonstrate that velocity differences among grains are prevalent within centrifugal hullers and adversely affect hulling efficiency. These differences primarily arise from tangential collisions between grains and blades prior to acceleration, as well as axial collisions during the acceleration phase. The jumping degree (S_v) quantifies the relative motion between paddy grains and blades in the normal direction. Velocity differences decrease significantly as the jumping degree approaches unity. Furthermore, a tilted curvature blade was developed to mitigate velocity differences. Computational analysis and simulation determined that a blade curvature of 300 mm combined with a 20° tilt angle achieved the most substantial reduction in velocity differences. This optimised configuration improves hulling efficiency by 4.5% compared to the original blade design. This modification is expected to substantially facilitate the optimisation of centrifugal huller designs. Full article

Throughout the huller shelling process, the rubber rollers progressively deteriorate. The velocity of the rubber rollers decreases as the distance between the rollers rises. These modifications significantly influence the rate at which rice hulling occurs. Hence, the implementation of real-time online detection is crucial for maintaining the operational efficiency of the huller. Currently, the prevailing inspection methods include manual inspection, 2D vision inspection, deep learning methods, and machine vision methods. Nevertheless, these conventional techniques lack the ability to provide detailed information about the faulty components, making it challenging to conduct comprehensive defect identification in three dimensions. To address this issue, point cloud technology has been incorporated into the overall detection of the working condition of the huller. Specifically, the Random Sample Consensus segmentation algorithm and the adaptive boundary extraction algorithm have been developed to identify abnormal wear on the rubber rollers by analyzing the point cloud data on their surface. A solution technique has been developed for the huller to compensate for the speed of the rubber rollers and calculate the mean values of their radii. Additionally, a numerical simulation algorithm is proposed to address the dynamic change in the roller spacing detection. The results show that point cloud data can be utilized to achieve real-time and precise correction of anomalous wear patterns on the surface of rubber rollers. Full article

In this article, a hammer-blade hulling machine for Eucommia ulmoides Oliver that solves the current industry problem of low hulling efficiency and high manual input in EUO samaras is described. Its main working components are a hulling device and a screening device. Discrete element simulation was used to simulate the hulling process of a EUO samara hulling machine, and a EUO samara bond model was used to simulate the crushing process. The optimal parameters of the huller were determined as follows: the spindle speed was 2800 r/min, the hammer length was 70 mm and the other mechanism parameters were determined according to the working processes of components. Before the prototype test, EUO samaras were pretreated via soaking and insolation. The soaking and insolation times were used as the influence factors when carrying out the test. Their effect on hulling efficiency was evaluated by calculating the yield rates of the kernels and shell and the loss rate. The results show that under the optimal pretreatment conditions, the parameters of the huller meet the requirements, and the yield rate of kernels is more than 28%, the yield rate of shells is more than 38%, and the loss rate is less than 7%. The test indexes meet the use requirements and improve the efficiency of the hulling of the EUO samara, which has the advantages of high efficiency and high hulling rates. Full article

This paper aims to examine the technology gap efficiency of small-scale rice processors in Anambra State, Nigeria. The research was conducted through a survey of 100 small-scale rice processors in Anambra State. Data were collected with structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive, stochastic frontier analysis, stochastic meta-frontier model, and inferential statistical techniques. The study revealed that important variables to rice processing present in the state are paddy, firewood, water, and huller. Concerning the economic-specific factors, the cost of grading and other processing assets contributes to inefficiency. The results equally showed that the technology gap efficiency of small-scale rice processors in the industry is tied to or tangential to the frontier output, meaning that the processors in Anambra State are making use of the best technology available. The average efficiency index for the processors in the industry was 0.506, implying that their output is below potential by 49.4%. The results also revealed the technology gap efficiency for the participating and non-participating processors as 0.924 and 0.983, respectively, meaning that the participants need to close an 8.0% gap, and the non-participants need to close a 2.0% gap. These gaps are caused by the high cost of processing equipment, high cost of input, and inadequate infrastructure, among others contributing factors. The paper concluded that the average meta-technical efficiency (0.498) of small-scale rice processors in Anambra State is low and needs to be improved through the provision of adequate technology, training, and infrastructure to bring the current industrial production capacity to 100.0%. Full article

Damage from Amyelois transitella, a key pest of almonds in California, is managed by destruction of overwintering hosts, timely harvest, and insecticides. Mating disruption has been an increasingly frequent addition to these management tools. Efficacy of mating disruption for control of navel orangeworm damage has been demonstrated in experiments that included control plots not treated with either mating disruption or insecticide. However, the navel orangeworm flies much farther than many orchard pests, so large plots of an expensive crop are required for such research. A large almond orchard was subdivided into replicate blocks of 96 to 224 ha and used to compare harvest damage from navel orangeworm in almonds treated with both mating disruption and insecticide, or with either alone. Regression of navel orangeworm damage in researcher-collected harvest samples from the interior and center of management blocks on damage in huller samples found good correlation for both and supported previous assumptions that huller samples underreport navel orangeworm damage. Blocks treated with both mating disruption and insecticide had lower damage than those treated with either alone in 9 of the 10 years examined. Use of insecticide had a stronger impact than doubling the dispenser rate from 2.5 to 5 per ha, and long-term comparisons of relative navel orangeworm damage to earlier- and later-harvested varieties revealed greater variation than previously demonstrated. These findings are an economically important confirmation of trade-offs in economic management of this critical pest. Additional monitoring tools and research tactics will be necessary to fulfill the potential of mating disruption to reduce insecticide use for navel orangeworm. Full article