Influence of thermosonication on hydration kinetics and thermodynamic properties of wheat, chickpea and amaranth grains
摘要
This study aims to evaluate the influence of thermosonication on the hydration kinetics and thermodynamic behavior of wheat, chickpea, and amaranth, and to model the hydration behavior using various mathematical models. The hydration process was conducted at temperatures of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C under different hydration conditions (conventional soaking, ultrasound-assisted soaking 50% and 100% amplitude). All hydration models showed a good fit across soaking temperatures, with R² >0.94, χ² ≤ 0.008, and RMSE ≤ 0.074. Among the models, the Weibull model demonstrated the best fit for wheat, chickpea, and amaranth, with corresponding average R² values of 0.9989, 0.9994, and 0.9993; χ² values of 0.0002, 0.0001, and 0.0001; and RMSE values of 0.0102, 0.0081, and 0.0082, respectively. The Fick’s Second Law of Diffusion model was also used to describe the hydration kinetics of grains, with average R², χ², and RMSE values of 0.9980, 0.0002, and 0.0136, respectively, under all soaking conditions and temperatures. Thermosonication treatment decreased activation enthalpy and Gibbs free energy, indicating a more efficient hydration process due to the ultrasound-induced structural changes. However, it is worth noting that this process is not spontaneous. General equations describing moisture content as a function of process time and temperature for grains under different conditions were derived.