Portable analogue-based electronic moisture meter for root-crop chips

James Roy Lesidan, Mencius Lesidan, Melvin Hagonob, Charlie Andan, Ma. Grace Sumaria, Ronaldo Almencion and Kebin Ysrael Martinez
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James Roy Lesidan: Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Mencius Lesidan: National Coconut Research Center - Visayas, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Melvin Hagonob: Prairie Swine Research Inc., University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Charlie Andan: Department of Meteorology, College of Engineering and Technology, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Ma. Grace Sumaria: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Ronaldo Almencion: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Visayas State University, Baybay City, Philippines
Kebin Ysrael Martinez: JE Hydro & Bio-Energy Corporation, Cebu City, Philippines

Research in Agricultural Engineering, 2025, vol. 71, issue 2, 113-120

Abstract: Moisture content regulation of root crops is crucial in post-harvest processing operations, not only in the price stipulation but also to avoid aflatoxin contamination. To prolong their storage life, they are processed into dried chips to extend their usability in feed formulations and starches. In this study, we use the capacitance-based method to evaluate the performance of an analogue-based electronic meter for the cassava, sweet potato, and taro chips. The meter was calibrated against the oven-drying method, yielding high R2 values of the different root crops. The established calibration models were validated and revealed high R2 values with 0.9580 for the cassava, 0.9958 for the sweet potato, and 0.9798 for the taro. The trendline equations are y = 59.44x0.56, y = 54.38x0.47, and y = 52.94x0.62, respectively. The results revealed that the moisture meter is capable of reading the moisture content on a weight basis (% MCwb) with accuracy and reliability at specified limits of 8% < x < 69% for the cassava, 15% < x < 59% for the sweet potato, and 9% < x < 57% for the taro. This study presents the performance of a portable analogue-based moisture meter as a reliable and accessible solution to small-scale operations, especially for farmers, offering an on-site rapid moisture content measurement in root crop processing.

Keywords: capacitance-based; moisture content; root crop processing; dielectric property; regression analysis; post-harvest technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.17221/15/2025-RAE

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