The physical properties of the agricultural products are influenced directly by drying. Like this, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of moisture content variation in the physical properties of edible bean grain Vermelho Coimbra cultivar, and to fit different mathematical models to the experimental values. Two methodologies were analyzed for the determination of the bulk density and true density. The bulk density and the porosity were determined being used a hectoliter balance and a picnometer, respectively. The true density was determined in function of the porosity and the bulk density. The experimental data of the bulk density and true density were compared to the obtained data by the calculation starting from the chemical composition of the edible beans. It was concluded that the moisture content reduction affects the the physical properties of edible bean grain, providing the decrease of the porosity and of the mass of 1000 grains and the increase of bulk density and true density. The methodology of determination of the bulk density and true density using the chemical composition of the bean grains presents limitation with relationship to the precision of the results. The variations of the physical properties analyzed in function of the moisture content are better fitted represented by the lineal model.
Phaseolus vulgaris; porosity; bulk density; mathematical models
