Candy crystals prepared from palmyra palm were analyzed for various physical and chemical properties during processing. The scanning electron microscopy displayed smooth and clear crystals of varied sizes. As the temperature of the jaggery increased from 28C to 108.4C, there was a subsequent increase in the total soluble solids from 28.8 to 848Brix. Thermal conductivity decreased from 0.44 to 0.14 W/mK, thermal diffusivity decreased from 0.31 3 10 26 to 0.05 3 10 26 m 2 /s and volumetric specific heat decreased from 1.35 3 10 3 to 0.64 3 10 3 kJ/m 3 ÁK. Thermal resistivity increased from 201.7 3 10 22 to 755.1 3 10 22 CÁm/W. The maximum force taken as hardness was found to be 6,419 g. Power was found to be best for fitting the viscosity values (R 2 5 0.93).
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe physicochemical properties, especially the crystalline structure of the foods, have much importance in the product quality and stability and mouth-feel during consumption of the product. It was found that the physical and other engineering properties of the candy were temperature dependent. The effect of temperature on the density and viscosity could be very handy for preliminary equipment design. Palm jaggery is very valuable in terms of its health benefits, and this research will be very helpful for commercializing the jaggery-based products.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.