Water Absorption Characteristics of Nigerian Acha (Digitaria exilis)

Abstract

The water absorption characteristics of acha (Digitaria exilis) were investigated at temperatures of 40, 60, 80 and 100°C. The Peleg equation was used to model the hydration behaviour of the hydrated grains. The correlation coefficient for Peleg’s equation, which varied from 0.9931 to 0.9986, suggests that the equation gave a good fit to the experimental data. The water absorption capacity and hydration equilibrium water contents of the grain increased as the hydration temperature increased. The gelatinization temperature of acha was 600°C and the activation energy was 0.35 kJ mol-1 and 2.00 kJ mol-1 above and below this temperature.