DETERMINATION OF SELECTED PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF AFRICAN BREADFRUIT (var. Inversa) SEEDS

Abstract

Some relevant physical, mechanical and aerodynamic properties of African Breadfruit (var. Inversa) were
determined in relation to processing equipment design. The measured physical properties of breadfruit
seeds are the principal dimensions (length, width, and thickness), technically known as major,
intermediate and minor diameters. Surface area, sphericity, projected area, aspect ratio, volume, true
density, bulk density and porosity were also determined at moisture content of 11.00% wb, 13% wb,
15.00% wb, 18% wb and 20% wb. The major, intermediate and minor diameters increased from
8.10±0.91cm to 10.05±0.6cm, 4.04±0.52cm to 5.00±0.10 and 2.96±0.43 to 4.60±0.40cm respectively
for the range of moisture content of 11.00 to 20.00. Within the same moisture content, the surface
area, sphericity and aspect ratio were 64.19±8.90cm, to 114.25±6.20cm, 56.00±8.00cm to
60.00±6.00cm and 50.10±0.04 respectively. Other physical properties determined were volume, true
density, bulk density, 1000-grain weight and porosity. The volume varied from 50.6 to 121.05 cm3, and
the true density varied from 1.099 g/cm3 to 1.11 g/cm3 while bulk density, 100-grain weight and porosity
varied from 0.8350 to 0.938 g/cm3, 360 g to 610g and 15.01 to 5.60 respectively.