Hygroscopicity of Castor Bean Seeds (Ricinus communis L.)

Abstract

The hygroscopic balance of castor bean seeds (Ricinus communis L.) assists the proper handling of the product to preserve its water content at the levels recommended for safe storage. The objective of this work was to determine the water adsorption isotherms of castor bean seeds (EVF103 and EVF106) to obtain information on the amount of water that this product adsorb at temperatures of 10, 20, 30, 40oC and water activities between 0.20 and 0.89, as well as adjusting different mathematical models to the experimental data. To obtain the hygroscopic equilibrium, the indirect static method was used, using Hygropalm Model Aw 1 equipment, analyzing castor bean seeds of the genotypes EVF103 and EVF106. The Copace model (for the EVF103) and Modified Oswin model (for the EVF106), according to the statistical parameters and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and Schwarz’s bayesian information criterion (BIC) information criteria, represent the hygroscopicity of castor bean seeds in the temperature range of 10 to 40oC. In a same water activity, the water content of the castor bean seeds of the genotypes EVF103 and EVF106 reduces with increasing temperature.