Flowability of uncompacted marigold powder as affected by moisture content

• Published in: Journal of food engineering Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 165 - 171
• Main Authors: Zou, Y, Brusewitz, G.H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Feed and pet food industries; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Animal food industry; Particle size; Flower; Bin; Angle of friction; Food additive; Compositae; Experimental study; Powder; Flowability; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Water content; Herbaceous plant; Spermatophyta; Tagetes
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/S0260-8774(02)00060-2

The flowability of uncompacted marigold powder (ground petals), as determined by three different methods, decreased with higher moisture content over the range of 5.5–25.5% MC for samples of two different particle sizes and with addition of flow enhancer. Adding the flow enhancer tricalcium phosphate (TCP) decreased the repose angles, i.e., increased flowability for all treatments. From both static angle of repose and dynamic angle of repose tests, best flowability was found for 1-mm screen ground powder having 3% TCP; poorest flowability was for 6-mm screen ground powder having 0% TCP. Flowability of other treatments was intermediate. Using a newly developed method to measure flowability from gravity flow bins, higher frequency of vibration was required to initiate flow through an orifice for higher moisture content powders. For each powder, particle size, and amount of flow enhancer, there is an optimal range of orifice sizes to obtain the best test results.