DRYING CONDITIONS AND PROCESSABILITY OF DRIED RAPESEED

The possibility of using the oil-point and compression tests for evalu ation of dried rapeseeds processability was examined. Seeds of initial moisture 10, 14, 18 and 22% (w/w) were dried at 60, 80, 100 and 120 d egrees C to a final moisture of 6.5% (w/w). The values of pressure (P- 0), work (L(0)) and strain (epsilon(0)) determined by the oil-point te st, and pressure at strain epsilon = 0.45 mm mm(-1) (P-epsilon) and de gree of elasticity (D) determined by the compression test for bulk dri ed seeds differed markedly from those found for non-dried seeds. The P -0, L(0) and P-epsilon values were strongly correlated with the initia l moisture of rapeseeds and drying temperature. All the strain values (epsilon(0)) were lower than those for non-dried seeds, and their chan ges depended solely on the initial moisture of seeds. Changes in the d egree of elasticity were irregular and did not reach the value charact eristic for over-dried seeds, ie 100%. High correlation of the agglome ration test data (Delta(1-3) values) with those of the P-0, L(0), and P-epsilon made it possible to develop appropriate equations that prove d the usefulness of the variables for determining the dried rapeseed p rocessability.