Palm date seeds can be a potential source to prepare a decaffeinated coffee-like brew and to produce
oil. Hence, the objectives of this work are to model the changes in colour and hardness of date seeds during
roasting process, as well as to study the effects of roasting conditions on the total specific grinding energy and
the oil extraction yield of the seeds. General reaction models and general regression equation were applied
to simulate the changes in colour, hardness, oil extraction yield, and total specific grinding energy during
roasting process. The outcomes showed that the colour parameters (L*-value and b*-value) and the hardness
of the roasted date seeds can be satisfactorily described by the first-order equation, while a*-value and ΔE
were adequately defined by the zero-order model. A decrease in total specific grinding energy and an increase
in oil yield were recorded as the roasting temperature and time were increased. Hence, this study concludes
that the roasting of date seeds at 200 ℃ for 30 min generates the lowest grinding energy and a high amount of
oil. |
