The Influence of Grain Moisture Content on Specific Energy During Spring Wheat Grinding

Grinding is the fundamental operation in the processing of cereal grain. From the viewpoint of the processing technology, the significant aspect is the energy intensity of the process. Apart from the equipment used, the process of grinding is affected by grain moisture and its mechanical properties that are determined primarily by the cultivar factor. The principal objective of the study was the determination of the effect of moisture content of kernels of new spring wheat cultivars on specific energy needed to crash them by a laboratory hammer mill. In all the cases an increase of kernel moisture causes an increase of the specific energy. The lowest specific energy during grinding, throughout the entire range of kernel moisture, was characteristic of cultivar Arabella, while the highest values of specific energy were obtained in the case of cultivar Mandaryna. The relationship of the specific energy to the kernel moisture content was described by means of linear equations.