Vol. 11, Issue 9 (2022)

Author(s):
Pooja P Thul, Bhawna S Shirsat and AA Sawant

Abstract:
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is one of the most important spice crop grown in India which is generally used for cooking as well as medicinal purposes. It is generally used as a condiment in vegetables, meat and fish preparations due to its colour and mild flavor. Turmeric has long been used as a medicine in Ayurveda and Unani systems for medicine in India. The experiment was conducted on physical properties of fresh turmeric rhizomes of “Salem” variety at Dapoli. The average moisture content of fresh turmeric rhizomes was 81.26% (wet basis). The length, width and thickness of the fresh turmeric rhizomes were determined and found to be 67.66 mm, 22.24 mm and 16.78 mm, respectively. The geometric mean and sphericity were 29.11 mm and 0.44. The average mass, volume and surface area of the fresh turmeric rhizomes was found 18.97 g, 14.26 cm³ and 15.57 cm², respectively. The average bulk density, true density and porosity were calculated as 422.87 kg/m³, 1142.01 kg/m³ and 62.90%, respectively. The average of angle of repose was 26.68°. The engineering properties of fresh turmeric rhizomes are useful for design of turmeric processing equipments, handling and storage. Also it can be helpful for design of Pulverizer for preparation of turmeric powder.