How to determine moisture in pulses ( arhar dal, chana dal, masur dal etc.)

 *Sample Preparation*: 

Take a representative sample of chana dal and grind it, Ensure that the sample is neither too coarse nor too fine, the sample is well-mixed to account for any moisture variations.

*Weighing*: 

Start by weighing an empty, clean, and dry moisture dish (usually made of aluminum or glass) accurately on a balance. Record its weight

*Sample Preparation*: 

Take a representative sample of chana dal, ensuring it's properly mixed. Weigh the sample 5 gram, and record its weight

*Drying*: 

Spread the sample evenly in the moisture dish, ensuring a uniform layer. Place the dish with the sample in an oven set to a temperature 130 °C.

*Drying Time*: 

Allow the chana dal to dry in the oven for 2 hours. Ensure the temperature remains constant during this time.

Cooling:

 After drying, remove the moisture dish from the oven and allow it to cool in a desiccator.

Weighing After Drying: 

Weigh the dish with the dried chana dal. Record this weight.

Calculations: 

Calculate the moisture content using the formula:

The result will give you the moisture content of the chana dal as a percentage. This method measures the moisture loss during drying and is commonly used for moisture determination in various food products.

How to determine TS (Total Solid) in Petha

 Weigh the Petha: Start by weighing the petha sample that you want to test. This will be the initial weight (W1).

Dry the Sample: Place the petha sample in an oven or a food dehydrator to remove all the moisture. Heat it at a relatively low temperature (around 60-70°C or 140-160°F) until it becomes completely dry. This may take several hours.

Weigh the Dry Sample: Once the sample is completely dry, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Weigh the dried petha (W2).

Calculate Total Solids: To calculate the total solids content, use the following formula:

Total Solids (%) = ((W1 - W2) / W1) x 100

Where:

W1 is the initial weight of the petha sample.

W2 is the weight of the dried petha sample.

Interpret the Results: The result will be the percentage of total solids in the petha. Total solids include all the components of the petha except for water, so it represents the combined content of sugars, fibers, and other solids in the product.

RDA ( Recommended Dietary Allowance)

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA):

 Average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97–98%) healthy individuals; often used to plan nutritionally adequate diets for individuals.

How to calculate NPK & Calcium, magnesium and Sulfur in fertilizer

Calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) are the three secondary nutrients required by plants, but less likely to be added as fertilizer as N, P or K. A standard soil test measures the relative availability of Ca and Mg in soils. There is no accurate soil test for S at this time. A plant analysis is the best diagnostic tool for confirming S availability.

   Excessive use of K fertilizers can greatly reduce the uptake of Ca and Mg. Forage with high K or low Mg concentrations can cause grass tetany, milk fever, hypocalcemia, and other health problems for ruminant animals. 

   Potassium recommendations above the critical level are less than crop removal so as to discourage excessive uptake (i.e., luxury consumption) of K and improve Mg uptake. This can sometimes result in fields rotating out of alfalfa to have depleted soil test K levels.

Determination of Iodine Value (Wijs) in vegetable oil

 Definition of Iodine Value (Wijs) :

 The number of grams of iodine, absorbed per 100 grams of the oil or fat, when determined by using Wijs solution

Principle: 

The sample is dissolved in a non- polar solvent like carbon tetra chloride and after adding with a known excess of iodine monochloride solution in glacial acetic acid  (Wijs solution), it is kept in dark for specified time. Potassium Iodide is then added to it and liberated Iodine is titrated against Standard Sodium thiosulphate solution using starch as indicator.

Apparatus: 

a. Iodine value flask- cap. 500 ml with stopper, 

b. Pipettes, 

c. Burette, 

d. Measuring cylinders

Reagents:

a. WIJ’S solution (Solution of Iodine monochloride in glacial acetic acid): Iodine Mono chloride (ICI) -98  percent  chemically  pure.  Iodine mono chloride Solution-is prepared by dissolving10 ml of Iodine mono chloride in about 1800ml of glacial acetic acid (chemically pure) and shake vigorously. Pipette 5ml of this, add 10 ml of potassium iodide solution and  titrate  with  0·lN standard sodium thiosulphate solution, using starch solution as indicator. Adjust the volume of the solution till it is approximately 0·2N.

b. 10 % KI solution: Prepare a fresh solution by dissolving 10g of potassium iodide free from potassium iodate, in 90 ml of water

c. Starch solution: 5 g of starch with 30ml of cold water and slowly pour it with stirring in to one liter of boiling water. Boil for three minutes. Allow to cool and decant off the supernatant clear liquid.

d. Chloroform or CTC 

e. Std. Sodium Thiosulphate solution: approximately 0·l N.

Dissolve approximately 24.8 g of sodium thiosulphate crystals (Na2S203.5H20) in water which has been well boiled to free it from carbon dioxide and make up to 1000 ml. Store the solution in a cool place in a dark coloured stock bottle. Standardize against  0.1N  Potassium dichromate  solution. Calculate  the normality.