2022

AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

BOARD EXAM REVIEWER

MOISTURE CONTENT
by

Engr. Alexis T. Belonio, MS

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineer
ASEAN Engineer

Volume 6 –AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PROCESS ENGNEERING

 Introduction

¾Moisture content is one of the most important indices in determining

whether the product should be harvested already. The product
should be dry enough for safe storage, can be milled with maximum
recovery, or can be properly processed.

¾ Understanding moisture content and knowing the methods of

determining it would be essential in agricultural processing
operation.
 Moisture Classification

¡ Free Moisture
• Moisture that can be found at the surface of the product,
particularly at the void spaces of the materials.

¡ Bound Moisture
• Moisture inside the tissue of the material which can be
removed by heating or reducing the vapor pressure with in
the material.

¡ Chemically-Bound Moisture
• Difficult-to-remove moisture and need chemical reaction by
high temperature or other means in order to remove it.
 Determining Moisture Content

¡ Factors affecting the choice of methods

• Form in which water is present
• Nature of the product analyzed (whether easily oxidized or
decomposed)
• Relative amount of water present in the product
• Rapidity of determination
• Accuracy desired
• Cost of equipment required
 Methods in Determining Moisture
Content

• Primary Method
• Oven
• Distillation
• Infrared
• Secondary Method
• Resistance-Type
• Capacitance-Type
• Chemical
• Hygrometric
 Primary Method

• This is commonly used by researchers.

• The values obtained with this method are used to calibrate all
secondary type of moisture measuring devices.
• The steps are too cumbersome and time consuming.
 Secondary Method

• Much faster as compared with the primary method.

• Highly dependent on the electrical properties of the product.
 Types of Primary Method

A. Oven Method - This method requires a sensitive analytical

balance and a thermostatically-controlled electrically-heated
vacuum or drying oven.

B. Distillation Method – This method determines the moisture by

fractional distillation. The sample is heated at a temperature
considerably above the boiling point of water in 150ml of mineral
oil. The vaporized moisture is condensed and measured in a
graduated cylinder. The amount of moisture collected is the
percentage moisture content of the product, expressed in wet
basis.
C. Infrared Method – In this method, samples of known weight is
placed on top of a platform scale of the meter where it is
heated at a relatively high infrared temperature. The product
looses moisture as it is heated and gives the moisture level
after reaching its equilibrium level.
 Types of Secondary Method

A. Electric Resistance Method – This method is based on the

principle that the electrical resistance and conductivity of a
material depend upon the moisture content. This meter with a
self-contained power supply measures the electrical resistance
of the product at a given compaction which varies with
temperature, moisture, degree of compaction, and cleanliness of
the product. Readout device gives the moisture content in wet
basis.

B. Dielectric Method - This method determines the moisture

content of the product due to its die-electric properties. In this
method, the product is placed between the two capacitor plates
of the meter and the measured capacitance, which varies with
the moisture, degree of compaction, and temperature, is
determined.
C. Chemical Methods – In this method, water is removed from
the sample by the addition of chemicals that either
decompose or combine with the water. Calibration curves are
established for the quantity of gas produced or the decrease
in the weight of the sample due to chemical reaction which
are used to calculate the amount of water originally in the
sample.

D. Hygrometric Method – In this method, the sample of the

product is placed in a sealed container and allowed to
equilibrate with the air in the container which has a known
relative humidity and temperature. The relative humidity of
the air when it is in equilibrium with the sample gives a
measure of the initial moisture content of the sample.
 Moisture Content Representation

¡ Wet Basis – It is the percentage amount of moisture as expressed

with the total weight of the sample. It is commonly used in
commercial expression of moisture content of the product.

¡ Dry Basis – It is the percentage amount of the moisture content as

expressed with the bone-dry weight of the product. It is a
commonly used expression of moisture in laboratory and/or
experiments.
Wet Basis
MCw = (Ws – Wdm)100 / Ws
Dry Basis
MCd = (Ws – Wdm) 100 / Wdm

where:
MCw - moisture content wet basis, %
MCd - moisture content dry basis, %
Ws - weight of sample, g
Wdm - weight of dry mater, g
 Weight of Sample Weight of Dry Matter
(Before oven drying) (After oven drying)

Weight of Moisture = Weight of sample – Weight of dry matter

If 20 kg of water is removed from 110 kg of paddy, what is the
percentage moisture content of paddy in wet basis?

Given: Wm - 20 kg
Ws - 110 kg

Required: % MC wet basis

Solution:
% MCw = ( Ws – Wdm ) x 100 / Ws
= ( 20 kg / 110 kg ) x 100
= 18.18 %
What is the amount of moisture to be removed from a material whose
moisture content is 14.5%wb with dry matter weight of 76 kg?

Given: MCi - 14.5%wb

Wdm - 76 kg

Required: Amount of moisture to be removed

Solution:
MCi = Wmr x 100 / (Wmr + Wdm)

Wmr = 0.145 (Wmr + 76 kg)

Wmr = 0.145 Wmr + 11.02 kg
0.855 Wmr = 11.02 kg
Wmr = 11.02 kg / 0.855
= 12.89 kg
 Conversion

Wet Basis to Dry Basis

MCd = MCw 100 / (100 – MCw)

Dry Basis to Wet Basis

MCw = MCd 100 / (100 + MCd)

where:
MCd - moisture content dry basis, %
MCw - moisture content wet basis, %
What is the percentage moisture content of paddy above when
expressed in dry basis?

Given: MCw - 18.18%

Required: MCd

Solution:
MCd = (MCw x 100 )/ (MCw – 100 )
= (18.18 x 100) / ( 18.18 + 100 )
= 22.2%
If a product has a percentage moisture content of 12% wet basis, the
equivalent percentage moisture content In dry basis is:

Given: MCw - 12%

Required: MCd

Solution:
MCd = MCw x 100 / (100 – MCw)
= 12 x 100 / ( 100 – 12 )
= 13.64%
A product expressed in dry basis has percentage moisture content of
25%, what is the percentage moisture content of the product in wet
basis?

Given: MCd - 25%

Required: MCw

Solution:
MCw = MCd x 100 / (MCd + 100)
= ( 25 x 100 ) / (25 + 100 )
= 20%
 Moisture Loss

Wi ( 1 – MCi ) = Wf ( 1- MCf )
ML = Wi - Wf

where:
Wi - initial weight of sample, kg
Wf - final weight of sample, kg
MCi - initial moisture content, % wb
MCf - final moisture content, % wb
ML - moisture loss, kg
Determine the amount of moisture that can be removed from 9 tons
of paddy initially from 24% and dried to 14%.

Given: Wi - 9 tons
MCi - 24%
MCf - 14%

Required: Weight final

Solution: Wi ( 1 – Mci ) = Wf (1- MCf)
Wf = Wi (1-MCi) / (1-MCf)
= 9 tons (1-0.24) / (1.014)
= 7.9 tons
ML = Wi – Wf
ML = 9 tons – 7.9 tons
= 1.05 tons
QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS
1. Amount of moisture in the grains 4. When the amount of water in a
expressed as a percentage of the product is determined based on its dry
total weight of the samples. matter content, the moisture content is
a. Moisture content dry basis expressed in ____.
b. Moisture content wet basis a. wet basis
c. Moisture content b. dry basis
d. All of the above c. semi wet basis
d. None of the above
2. Amount of moisture in the grains
expressed as a percentage of the 5. A product has 25% moisture
weight of dry matter. content expressed in dry basis. What
a. Moisture content dry basis is the percentage moisture content of
b. Moisture content wet basis the product in wet basis?
c. Moisture content a. 20%
d. None of the above b. 22%
c. 26%
3. Moisture meter that determines d. None of the above
the moisture content of the product
based on the ability of the current to 6. Method of measuring the moisture
pass through the material. content of the product by direct
a. Capacitance-type moisture extraction of water.
meter a. Primary method
b. Resistance-type meter b. Secondary method
c. Infrared moisture meter c. Tertiary method
d. All of the above d. None of the above
 7. Which of the following is
considered primary method in
determining moisture content?
a. Oven method
b. Distillation method
c. Infrared method
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
8. If a product has 12% moisture
content expressed in wet basis, the
equivalent percentage moisture
content in dry basis is ____.
a. 13.6%
b. 16.3%
c. 13.4%
d. None of the above
9. Expression of moisture content
commonly used in commercial scale.
a. Moisture content wet basis
b. Moisture content dry basis
c. Moisture content
d. All of the above
10. Which of the following is
considered secondary method in
determining moisture content?
a. Electrical-resistance method
b. Electrical-capacitance method
c. Chemical method
d. Hygrometric method
e. All of the above
f. None of the above
11. Moisture found on the surface of
the material.
a. Unbound water (Free moisture)
b. Bound water
c. Chemically bound
d. All of the above
12. Important index to determine
whether the paddy is ready for
harvesting, storage or milling.
a. Color
b. Moisture content
c. Hardness
d. None of the above
13. Moisture inside the tissue of a 16. Device usually used in calibrating
material that can only be removed by resistance- and capacitor-type
heating or reducing the vapor pressure moisture meters.
within the material. a. Oven
a. Chemically-bound moisture b. Distillation
b. Bound moisture c. Infrared
c. Unbound d. All of the above
d. All of the above
17. Device used by the industry in
14. Difficult-to-remove moisture from determining moisture content of
the product that requires other method grains.
than heating in order to remove it. a. Oven
a. Chemically-bound moisture b. Electrical resistance- and
b. Bound moisture capacitance-type meter
c. Free moisture c. Infrared moisture meter
d. All of the above d. All of the above

15. Plot or graph representing the 18. If 20 kg of water is to be

equilibrium moisture content of grains removed from 110kg paddy, what is
at different relative humidity but with the percentage moisture content of
constant temperature. the paddy in wet basis?
a. Isothermal graph a. 14.5%
b. Sorption isotherms b. 16.9%
c. Isothermal humidity c. 18.18%
d. None of the above d. None of the above
19. What is the percentage moisture
content of the paddy in Item 18 when
expressed in dry basis?
a. 16.4%
b. 19.9%
c. 22.2%
d. None of the above
20. Determine the amount of moisture
that can be removed from 9 tons of
paddy with 24% initial moisture
content dried to 14%.
a. 1.05 tons
b. 1.26 tons
c. 1.57 tons
d. None of the above
21. What is the amount of moisture to
be removed from a material with
14.5% moisture content and 76 kg dry
matter weight?
a. 10.45 kg
b. 12.89 kg
c. 14.32 kg
d. None of the above
22. What is the percentage
moisture content of paddy in Item
21 when expressed in dry basis?
a. 16.95%
b. 13.23%
c. 15.67%
d. None of the above
23. What is the equilibrium
moisture content of paddy in dry
basis stored in bags at 27°C
storage temperature with 90%
humidity.
a. 19.78%
b. 20.66%
c. 21.56%
d. None of the above
24. What is the moisture content of
paddy in Item 23 in wet basis?
a. 17.08%
b. 19.45%
c. 20.23%
d. None of the above