Mechanical seed quality of soyabeans related to drying parameters

Investigations were conducted on the mechanical seen quality of soyabeans after drying from a harvest moisture content of 20% (w.b.) in a 5cm thick bed in an air oven. The drying period ann the drying air temperature were varied between 26 and 94 h and 48 and 164 degrees C, respectively. Response surface contours generated from quadratic functions fitted to the darn indicated that low drying air temperature (below 50 degrees C) and drying periods above 80 h resulted in breakage resistant soyabeans having compressive resistance of 275 N and breakage susceptibility of less than 2%. However a competitive set of drying parameters was found in the air temperature range of 50-80 degrees C (drying periods less than 10 h) which may be a more economic region. Published by Elsevier Science Limited.