Physical properties of Irvingia gabonensis, Detarium microcapum, Mucuna pruriens and Brachystegia eurycoma seeds

A culinary enhancer is a substance that enhances the flavor and other properties of soups, stews and foods. Normally in flour form, culinary enhancers are used to enhance the proximate composition, viscosity, flavor and some other rheological and functional properties of soups and convenience foods. Physical properties of culinary seeds are utilized in the development of their handling, storage and processing facilities. The unit operations in the process of converting culinary seeds into flour include handling or conveying, cleaning, drying, storage, cracking, and separation of chaffs and shells before milling of the kernels or endosperm into flour. The aim of this study was to determine some postharvest physical properties of four African culinary enhancers, namely Irvingia gabonensis (Ogbono), Detarium microcapum (Ofor), Mucuna pruriens (Ukpo) and Brachystegia eurycoma (Achi) seeds. Ogbono seed had the highest dimensions (Length, L = 3.91, Width, W = 3.13, Thickness, T = 2.34 cm, Geometric mean diameter, D(g) = 3.06, Arithmetic mean diameter, D(a) = 3.13 cm, Equivalent mean diameter, D(e) = 2.87 cm and Square mean diameter, D(s) = 1.02 cm), followed by Ukpo, Ofor and Achi seeds. The average sphericity, surface area and 1000-unit mass were 0.6, 25.61 cm(2) and 11130 g; 0.95, 13.24 cm(2) and 4019 g; 0.94, 17.79 cm(2) and 7720 g and 0.48, 3.11 cm(2) and 8960 g for Ogbono, Ofor, Ukpo and Achi seeds respectively. These properties are useful baseline data required for further research studies on rational development of handling and processing systems for the products. The seeds' dimensions, size, and shape will be useful in the design and development of their cleaning, sorting, and grading machines and in the analyses of their drying behavior. The seeds’ densities and porosity values will be used to develop their conveying and storage facilities. The angles of repose and coefficient of friction will be used to design their conveying chutes and hoppers of their cracking machines and storage facility outlets.