Comparative Study of Engineering and Physical Properties of Whole Grain and Milled Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense)

Author: Shivbilas Maurya, S.S. Shukla, K.C. Mahajan and B.L. Sahu

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Abstract

The present study was focused on physical properties of entire and milled little millet. The moisture content was estimated to be between 7.68 and 9.88% (dry basis), based on the physical and engineering properties. The milled kutki millet showed an important enhancement in the physical characteristics of the millet. The milled millet showed higher bulk density and true density (0.85, 1.41) as compare to kutki whole grain (0.73, 01.16), while thousand grain weight exhibited an increase in whole grains (2.67) whereas milled kutki (2.18). The angle of repose observed maximum value (28.64°) in milled kutki as compared to kutki whole grain (25.26°), while yellowness index were maximum value (76.23) in kutki whole grain followed by milled kutki (45.22). The whiteness index and aspect ratio observed maximum in milled kutki (58.96 and 0.75) followed by kutki whole grain (40.33, 0.60). The sphericity value was maximum (1.71) in whole grain followed by milled kutki (1.39). The experiment found that the (Gravimetric characteristics, frictional properties, and colour index) for both whole and hulled kutki millets were performed. The hulling improved all of the physical and engineering properties of millet. The whiteness index for hulled millet was enhanced in the colour values. Due to the preservation of their physico-engineering makeup, the design of storage structures and post-harvest processing machines allows for extended storage of dehulled kutki and kutki whole grain millet.

Keywords

Little millet, Physical properties, Engineering properties. Yellowness Index, Whiteness Index

Conclusion

The study's outcomes reveal notable enhancements in physical attributes such as hue, angle of repose, and sphericity. Milling of the millet led to an elevation in their whiteness index. In comparison to intact grains, the milling process entails more cohesive interactions, resulting in a heightened angle of repose (piling effect). While the fundamental dimensions and attributes of minor millets diminished upon de-hulling, their radius and aspect ratio demonstrated augmentation. The presence of coarse hulls preventing grain collapse accounted for the lower bulk density, implying increased inter-grain interaction. Hulled grains exhibited higher density upon tapping, attributed to their more compact alignment, along with reduced porosity. Subsequently, the identified physical and engineering characteristics hold potential for application in local manufacturing and the development of straightforwardly deployable integrated harvester-thresher systems, grading equipment, de-hullers, conveying mechanisms, silos, MVT-based grain sorters, as well as milling components, both at commercial and decentralized domestic scales.

References

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How to cite this article

Shivbilas Maurya, S.S. Shukla, K.C. Mahajan and B.L. Sahu (2023). Comparative Study of Engineering and Physical Properties of Whole Grain and Milled Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(8a): 18-22.