Duangkhamchan Wasan, Chupawa Prarin, Kondo Naoshi, Jaisut Donludee
Research Unit of Process Design and Automation, Faculty of Engineering, Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham 44150, Thailand.
Research Unit of Smart Process Design and Automation, Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham 44150, Thailand.
Foods. 2024 Jun 13;13(12):1859. doi: 10.3390/foods13121859.
The problematic cohesiveness of food powders can commonly be solved using pulsed fluidized-bed agglomeration. However, progressively larger granules may result in unstable fluidization. The aims of this research study were to investigate fluid bed expansion as affected by particle enlargement and to control its stability using an image-processing technique. Instant riceberry powder (IRP) was agglomerated using varied air pulsation frequencies (1, 2.5, and 4 Hz). Bed expansion captured by image processing revealed that expanded bed height decreased with agglomeration time. The results showed an enlargement of agglomerated IRP, expressed in D, D, and D, with narrower distribution presented by span, and an improvement in bulk and reconstitution properties. The reduced Carr index (22-27%) and Hausner ratio (1.28-1.38) presented fair flowability and intermediate cohesiveness, respectively. Additionally, airflow during agglomerate growth was progressively adjusted using the image-processing method to enhance bed hydrodynamic stability, leading to improved process efficiency and product quality. This proposed approach has potential applications in the food powder manufacturing industry, particularly by enhancing the fluidization of cohesive particles with cracks and channels.
食品粉末存在的结块问题通常可以通过脉冲流化床团聚来解决。然而，颗粒逐渐变大可能会导致流化不稳定。本研究的目的是研究颗粒增大对流化床膨胀的影响，并使用图像处理技术控制其稳定性。使用不同的空气脉动频率（1、2.5和4赫兹）对即食红米粉（IRP）进行团聚。通过图像处理捕获的床层膨胀表明，膨胀床层高度随团聚时间而降低。结果表明，团聚后的IRP颗粒增大，用D[4,3]、D[3,2]和D[1,0]表示，跨度呈现出更窄的分布，并且堆积和复水性能得到改善。降低的卡尔指数（22%-27%）和豪斯纳比（1.28-1.38）分别表示出良好的流动性和中等的内聚性。此外，在团聚体生长过程中，使用图像处理方法逐步调整气流，以增强床层流体动力学稳定性，从而提高工艺效率和产品质量。这种提议的方法在食品粉末制造业中具有潜在应用，特别是通过增强具有裂缝和通道的粘性颗粒的流化。
