eChapters

Theory

Paddy parboiling is a hydrothermal process where the paddy is partially boiled to gelatinize the starch. During the gelatinization process the void of the rice kernel are filled and become hard on drying resulting minimum breakage and maximum head rice recovery. The nutrients are also absorbed into the inner mass and loss of nutrient is avoided. In general, the steps are involved in parboiling process are (i) Soaking (ii) Steaming (iii) Drying.

Theory

Removal of outer sheath is called husking and removal of kernel from maize from maize cob is called shelling. The performance of the sheller is expressed in terms of capacity, percentage of unshelled kernels (corn) and percentage of breakage. The above terms are defined as:

Aim

To determine the efficiency of groundnut decorticator

Apparatus required

Manually operated groundnut decorticator

Weighing balance

Groundnut pods

Aim

To determine the effectiveness of the spiral separator.

Materials required

Spiral separator

Weighing balance

Sample divider

Stopwatch

Grain mixture (round and others)

Aim

To evaluate the performance of the gravity separator.

Materials required

Specific gravity separator

Weighing balance

Sample divider

Stopwatch

Grains

Aim

To determine the effectiveness of inclined belt separator

To determine the capacity of inclined belt separator

Materials required

Inclined belt separator

Weighing balance

Feed material

Sample divider

Aim

To study the working principle and cleaning efficiency of air-screen seed cleaner cum grader

Apparatus required

Lab model air-screen seed cleaner cum grader

Seed sample

Weighing balance

Theory

Fluidized bed drying is a method of drying by keeping the material in fluidized/ floating condition inside a chamber by hot air. In this drying process higher rate of moisture migration takes place.

Aim

To draw the drying characteristic curve for given grain by thin layer drying.

To determine the drying constant, heat utilization factor and coefficient of performance.

Aim

To study the determination of drying rate of agricultural products

Problem

In a drying experiment on paddy at an air temperature of 60ºC, the following data were obtained. Prepare a drying rate curve for the experiment. Initial weight of the sample is 1250 gm and initial moisture content is 35% (d.b).

Aim

To study the numerical problems on grain moisture content and equilibrium moisture content.

Problem 1

Five hundred kilograms of paddy at 22% moisture content (wb) is dried to 14% moisture content (wb) for milling. Calculate the amount of moisture removed in drying.

Theory

This type of moisture measurement is called brown-duvel fractional distillation method. The method is recognized as an official method for determination of moisture content. In this method, directly measures the volume of moisture in cubic centimeter. This apparatus consists of flask, burner, thermometer, condenser, graduated cylinder. This apparatus consists of flask in which grain sample is boiled with mineral oil.

Theory

Indirect methods are based on the measurement of electrical properties of the grain that depends upon moisture content. There are two indirect methods namely (i) electrical resistance and (ii) dielectric methods are used. The electrical conductivity or resistance of a product measures its moisture content at a given compaction and temperature. The electrical resistance is depends on its moisture content, degree of compaction, grain temperature and impurities present in the sample. The universal digital moisture meter measures the electrical resistance of the grain at a given compaction. Universal moisture meter gives fairly accurate readings of moisture content on wet basis. In dielectric method, grain moisture content can be measured with the help of dielectric properties of the grains.

Theory

The amount of moisture in a product is given on the basis of the weight of water present in the product and is usually expressed in percent. Moisture content is designated by (i) wet basis (wb) and (ii) Dry basis (db). The moisture content on dry basis is more simple to use in calculation as the quantity of moisture present at any time is directly proportional to the moisture content on dry basis.

Theory

Texture testing is a well-established technique for evaluating the mechanical properties of raw materials, food structure, pre- and post- harvest quality control checks. The texture testing has many applications across wide range of foods including cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, baked foods, confectionaries, snacks, dairy, gelatins, pasta, etc. Food texture analysis of foods can highlight the quality improvement throughout the supply chain. At research and development stage, new or alternative ingredients can be compared with existing ingredients.

Texture profile parameters

The texture profile parameters including hardness, firmness, crispiness, rupture strength springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, gel strength, adhesiveness, consistency, crunchiness, elasticity, extensibility, fracturability, stiffness, stringiness, toughness, work to cut, penetrate and shear can be measured by the mechanical food texture analyzer.

Theory

The energy available in food is expressed in unit is called joules or calories. One kilocalorie is equal to 4.184 kilojoules. The kilocalorie is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1°C. The calorific/ energy value of foods is usually determined using the instrument called bomb calorimeter. It is working based on the principles of calorimetry. Basically, this device burns a food sample and transfers the heat into a known mass of water. It measures the heat produced when the food sample is ignited by an electric spark in the presence of oxygen and platinum which acts as a catalyst. The quantity of food sample to be tested is placed inner part and known volume of water is taken in outer part of the bomb calorimeter. When the food sample is electrically ignited, the surrounding water absorbs the heat produced. The energy value of the food is calculated by measuring the rise in temperature of water.

Theory

Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kg of the material by one degree at constant pressure without a change in state. With food materials, specific heat is a function of different components of a food, moisture content, temperature, and pressure. Specific heat is an important parameter in thermal analysis of food processing and equipment used in heating or cooling of foods. The numerical values of specific heat of the food materials are used in designing food processes and processing equipment. It can be used to calculate the heat load imposed on the refrigeration equipment by the freezing of foods. An apparent specific heat is used in freezing or thawing and in most food processing applications.

The specific heat of a food increases as the product moisture content increases. In unfrozen foods, specific heat capacity is relatively constant with respect to temperature. However, for frozen foods, there is a large decrease in specific heat capacity as the temperature decreases. The specific heat of a material can be determined experimentally by static (adiabatic) calorimetry or differential scanning calorimetry. It can be also predicted quite accurately with the help of a number of empirical equations. The equations are empirical expressions, obtained by fitting experimental data into mathematical models. The mathematical models are based on one or more constituents of the food. Since water is a major component of many foods, a number of models are expressed as a function of water content.

Aim

To determine the thermal conductivity of the agricultural materials probe method.

Materials required

Thermal conductivity probe

Stainless-steel sample container

Grain or powder sample

Graph sheet

Power source

Aim

To determine the angle of repose of the given biological materials.

Materials required

Angle of repose apparatus
Grains
Scale

Aim

To determine the water solubility and absorption index of given food powder.

Materials required

Digital centrifuge machine

Graduated measuring cylinder

Beaker and distilled water

Theory

The volume of food material play an important role in design of storage bins, conveying equipments, separation equipments, etc. Volume of larger products such as fruits and root crops can be determined using the platform scale or water displacement method.

Theory

The specific gravity is defined as the unit weight of the product mass divided by the unit weight of distilled water at 4°C. The unit density is obtained by measuring the volume and weight of a unit product. Sometimes it is required to compare the density of the product to the density of water. This comparison is in the form of ratio and is termed as the specific gravity.

Specific gravity also known as relative density is the ratio of density of a substance to the density of a standard substance at the same temperature and pressure. For solids and liquids the standard substance is water while for gasses it is air. The specific gravity of food material play an important role in design of storage bins, conveying equipments, separation equipments, etc. The specific gravity is frequently used to solve the various phase relationships, including void ratio, porosity and degree of saturation together with the moisture content and unit weight. It is also used in calculations associated with the grain size analysis, consolidation and compaction. Pycnometer method, which is a standardized vessel for determining specific gravity. It involves a standard container of accurately defined volume used to determine the specific gravity of solids and liquids.

Theory

Porosity is a physical property characterizing the texture and the quality of dry and intermediate moisture foods. Porosity means inter-granular space. It is the measure of void space between the materials. Porosity may be defined as the percentage of volume of inter-grain space to the total volume of grain bulk. Porosity depends on size, shape, dimension, and roughness of grain surface.

The porosity of an unconsolidated agricultural material can either be determined experimentally using the porosity tank method or theoretically from bulk and true densities of the material. Porosity can be determined from the difference between bulk volume of a porous material and its volume after destruction of all voids by compression. Porosity determination requires the knowledge of the total or apparent volume, and the void volume included in the material matrix; their difference is also known as the particle volume.

Aim

To determine the tapped bulk density and flowability of the food powder.

Materials required

Raw material (powder)

Measuring cylinder

Electronic weighing balance

Tapped bulk density of the powder

Tapped bulk density is measured for powdery samples. The volume is measured after tapping the powdery material so that the product is adjusted to inter-granular spaces, but it cannot eliminate all the inter-granular spaces. The tapped density is an increased bulk density attained after mechanically tapping a container containing the powder sample.

Theory

Bulk density of the food material play an important role in many applications such as drying, storing, separation of undesirable material, determining the purity of seeds, grinding, maturity evaluations, design of storage structures, etc. It is an important parameter in packaging requirement and is often 2-20% of true density. Bulk density is the density of material when stacked or packed in bulk. Bulk density of powder can be determined under loose conditions. Loose packing is defined as the state obtained by pouring a powder sample into a vessel without any consolidation.

Bulk density

Bulk density of the food material can be defined as the ratio of weight of an untapped material to its volume including the contribution of the inter-particulate void volume. There are two kinds of voids, voids between particles and void within particles. Weight of the material can be determined by weighing balance. Volume can be determined by measured dimensions or using liquid or gas or solid displacement methods.

Determination of size of the food materials

Size is an important physical attribute of foods used in screening solids to separate foreign materials, grading of fruits and vegetables, and evaluating the quality of food materials. Various types of cleaning, grading and separation equipment are designed on the basis of size. The size and shape of the grains are used to determine the size of screen openings, angle of inclination, vibration amplitude and frequency of screen in designing an air screen grain cleaner and conveying characteristics of the solid materials.

Sensor is a device which converts environmental parameters into electrical signals. In the broad definition, it is a device, module, machine, or subsystem which is designed to detect events or changes in the environment and send the information to other electronics components. An actuator is a component of a machine which is responsible for moving and controlling a system. A microcontroller is a small computer on a single metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chip. This chapter explains the microcontroller development boards and their components along with the classifications of sensors and actuators.

4.1 Classification of Sensors

The sensors can be classified on the basis of different areas as follows-

i. Classification based on Application

Sensors are chosen on the basis of application where they need to be implemented like Industrial process control, measurement and automation, Automobiles, Consumer electronics, Aircraft, Medical products etc. As with change in application the selection criteria changes, so application needs to be considered.

This chapter describes the components to design the mobile platform. The UN estimates the world population will rise from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion in 2050. The world will need a lot more food, and farmers will face serious pressure to keep up with demand. Agricultural robots can be used to increase the production yields for farmers in various ways.

3.1 Role of Robots in Agriculture

A challenging problem in Mechanical Engineering and robotics is the design of a mobile robot. The robot must successfully traverse through its environment, including rough terrain, grass, hills, etc. For correct positioning of the robot, the wheels of the robot must have good traction and never lose contact with the ground. For improved manoeuvrability the robot must also be able to rotate around a centre point as close to its centre of mass as possible. All of these factors have been considered in the design of a second generation outdoor de- mining robot.

A rectangular frame for the robot allows the easier positioning and accessibility of parts within the robot, which is useful in the development phase. Having the wheels up front helps the robot drive onto a slope. A circular frame for the robot would allow the robot to rotate around its true centre, such a frame, with the wheel axle running along the diameter of the frame would need support at the front and back of the robot.

The Internet of things connects the devices over Internet. The devices can communicate with each other and can be monitored and controlled remotely. The IoT is a system with interrelated computing devices, digital and mechanical machines, objects, animals or people each with an unique identifiers (UIDs ). It has the ability to transfer data over a network without human intervention. The Internet of Things is simply a network with Internet connecting the objects to collect and exchange the data. This chapter covers the basics of Internet of Things and its components.

2.1 Characteristics of IoT

Internet of Things can be used to design products for businesses. The added value to the businesses over IoT is created by the information which is collected by connected devices. The process has five phases of lifecycle, first phase is ‘create phase’, where sensors collects the data from environment. This data can generate the information. Second is ‘communicate phase’ where data generated in first phase is communicated to the required destination. Third is ‘aggregate phase’ where collected data over network is aggregated by device itself. Fourth is ‘analyse phase’ where aggregated data is used to generate patterns and use it to control and optimize the process. Fifth is ‘act phase’ where actions are taken on the basis of information extracted from the aggregated data.

The characteristics of IoT may vary from one domain to other. Few characteristics are listed as follows-

Agriculture is the science and art of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization. The history of agriculture began thousands of years ago. After gathering wild grains began 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers began to plant them around 11,500 years ago. Pigs, sheep and cattle were domesticated over 10,000 years ago. Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions of the world. Industrial agriculture based on large-scale monoculture in the twentieth century came to dominate agricultural output, though about 2 billion people still depended on subsistence agriculture. This chapter discusses about the agriculture and robotics in agricultural field.

1.1 Introduction to Agriculture

The word agriculture is derived from a Latin word- “agri” means soil, and “culture” means cultivation of the soil. In modern terms, agriculture comprises “the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and rearing livestock.”

Farming is a complete system which includes inputs, processing, and outputs. The inputs are seeds, fertilizers, machinery, which undergoes operations like ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding, and harvesting. The final outputs are like crops, dairy and poultry products.

5.1. Characteristics of asexually propagated crops

Majority of them are perennials

Many of them show reduced flowering and seed set.

Invariably cross pollinated.

Mostly polyploids.

Many species are inter specific hybrids.

4.1. Synthetic varieties

Produced by crossing in all combinations, a number of lines that combine well with each other.

3.1. Selection

To isolate desirable plant types from a population.

3.1.1 Progeny test

Evaluation of growth of plants on the basis of performance of their progenies

Real value of plant could be known by studying the progeny.

2. 1. Plant domestication

Process of bringing wild species under human management.

2.1.1. Changes in plant species under domestication

Elimination or reduction in shattering of pods, spikes, etc.

Elimination of dormancy

Decrease in toxins of other undesirable substances. Eg. Bitter principle of cucurbits.

Cultivated plants show altered tillering, branching, leaf characters.

Decrease in plant height. Eg. Cereals and millets.

1.1. Plant breeding

An art and science, deals with ways and means to change the genetic architecture of plants so as to attain a particular objective.

For ensuring food security, it is important to breed and develop new varieties that are high-yielding, pests diseases and drought resistant or regionally adapted to different environments and growing conditions.

2.1. Breeds of poultry

1.1. Livestock breeds

Denotes and established group of animals / birds having the similar general body shape, colour, structure and characters which produced offspring with same characters.

1.1. Cattle

1. Indigenous breeds

Milch: Sindhi, Sahiwal, Gir and Deoni

Dual: Hariana, Ongole, Tharparkar, Kankrej

Draught: Kangayam, Umblachery, Amritmahal, Hallikar

5.1. Farm machinery implements

5.1.1. Tillage

4.1. Tractor

Self propelled power unit having wheels or tracks for operating agricultural implements and machines including trailers.

Tractor engine is used as a prime mover for active tools and stationary farm machinery through power-take off (pto) or belt pulley.

3.1. Concept of farm mechanization

To apply the principles of engineering and technology to do the agricultural operations in a better way to increase crop yield.

Development, application and management of all mechanical aids for field operation, water control, material handling, storage and processing.

Mechanical aids include hand tools, animal drawn implements, power tillers, tractors, engines, electric motors, grain processing and hauling equipments.

2.1. Solar energy

States like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have greater potential for tapping solar energy due to their location.

2.1.1. Advantages

Inexhaustible source of energy.

Environment friendly and inexpensive.

Variety of purposes like heating, drying, cooking and electricity.

1.1. Types of energy

1.1.1. Potential energy

Stored energy and the energy of position (gravitational).

1.1.2. Kinetic energy

Energy in motion - the motion of waves, electrons, atoms, molecules and substances. It exists in various forms.

1.1. Sericulture

Refer to rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.

Major activities are mulberry cultivation, silkworms spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for value added benefits.

Bombyx mori is the most widely used. Silk-fiber is a protein produced from the silk-glands (modified labial glands) of silkworms.

Rerd. L.L.Langstroth (Father of modern bee keeping) discovered movable frame hive in 1851.

In 1882, beekeeping was introduced in India.

In 1911, Rerd. Newton introduced beekeeping to South India.

1.1. Mushroom

Fruiting body of fungus appears above ground and contains spores.

Fungi are network of fine microscopic threads collectively known as mycelium.

Fungi are the part of the plant kingdom and don’t contain chlorophyll and root system.

Mushroom comes under sub division Basidiomycotina, order – Agaricales.

Preparations containing living cells or latent cells of efficient strains of microorganisms that help crop plants to uptake of nutrients by their interactions in the rhizosphere when applied through seed or soil.

Accelerates microbial processes in the soil.

Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into worm castings by earthworms.

Earthworms feed on decaying material, pass through alimentary canals and excreted as castings.

pH of the castings is 7 (neutral) and the castings are odourless.

Contain high amounts of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium.

Contains 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available potash, and 1 ½ times more calcium and rich in humus.

Improves aeration, porosity, structure, drainage, and moisture holding capacity.

1.1. FYM compost

Decomposed mixture of dung and urine of farm animals along with litter and left over materials from roughages or fodder fed to the cattle.

Farmyard manure contains 0.5% N, 0.2% P₂O₅ and 0.5% K₂O.

Urine contains one per cent nitrogen and 1.35% potassium.

10 to 20 t/ha is applied, but more than 20 t/ha is applied to fodder grasses and vegetables like potato, tomato, sweet potato, carrot, radish, onion etc., respond well to the farmyard manure.

Crops like sugarcane, rice, oranges, banana, mango and coconut respond good to FYM.

5.1. Irrigation requirement of field crops

4.1. Physiological disorders in field crops

Identification of physiological disorders in agricultural crops