Sugar, compressible moisture contents

In a similar, yet more extensive study, the compaction of compressible sugar was examined for materials preconditioned at different relative humidities. The hardness versus compression profiles (Fig. 21) for these samples show a group of lines whose slope appears to be a function of moisture content. This relationship is also demonstrated in Fig. 22, where the slope is used as a compressibility index. This index is a linear function of moisture content samples with desorbed moisture did not differ from those with adsorbed moisture. 

Fig. 21 Hardness vs. compression pressure for compressible sugar with different moisture contents. (Adapted from RefP l.)...

Fig. 22 Compressibility of compressible sugar as a function of moisture content. (Adapted from Ref. l)...

Peleg (1978) mentions that the characteristic compressibility can be used as a parameter to indicate flowability changes, because compressibility (Equations 13 15) has been related to cohesion C. The more compressible a material is, the less flowable it will be (Carr, 1965). This relationship has been found from experiments on limestone, powdered sugar, semolina, and flours at different particle sizes, size distributions, and moisture contents. 

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