Measurement of Water Diffusivities in Barley Components Using Diffusion Weighted Imaging and Validation with a Drying Model

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine water diffusion coefficients (D) in hull-less barley kernel components (endosperm and embryo) at 20.5\ub10.5\ub0C. The D values in barley components were time-dependent and restricted in nature as indicated by the decrease in the apparent diffusion coefficient with increasing diffusion time (from 3 to 25 ms). A four-parameter Pad\ue9 approximation model was used to estimate D and pore geometry (pore surface area\u2013to-volume ratio, pore size, porosity, electrical conductivity and permeability of water) of the barley components after long diffusion time (t \u2192 1e) using data obtained during a relatively short period of diffusion. The D of embryo and endosperm were 2.2\ub10.07 7 10 125 mm 2 2. Czuchajowska , Z. ; Klamczynski , A. ; Paszczynska , B. ; Baik , B.-K. Structure and functionality of barley starches . Cereal Chemistry 1998 , 75 ( 5 ), 747 \u2013 754 . [CrossRef], [Web of Science \uae] View all references/s and 1.0\ub10.10 7 10 125 mm 2 2. Czuchajowska , Z. ; Klamczynski , A. ; Paszczynska , B. ; Baik , B.-K. Structure and functionality of barley starches . Cereal Chemistry 1998 , 75 ( 5 ), 747 \u2013 754 . [CrossRef], [Web of Science \uae] View all references/s, respectively. These D values were used to simulate moisture and temperature patterns during the drying of a barley kernel using a two-dimensional simultaneous heat and moisture transfer model and compared with literature D values for validation purposes. Based on the comparison, the D values of barley components obtained from our study can be used to develop realistic models of water transport in barley during different postharvest processing operations (e.g., drying, kilning, steeping).Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye