Investigation of changes in qualitative indicators of wheat grain at operational and technological treatment with ultrasound in aqueous medium

The study outlines the results of assessing the quality of agricultural products when applying ultrasonic treatment on wheat grain in aqueous medium. The aim of the study was to develop resource-efficient technologies based on scientific principles to reduce losses, increase shelf life and improve the nutritional properties of grain products. Within the framework of the work the grain processing is analyzed, and mathematical models describing the influence of ultrasound parameters (intensity, duration), mass transfer processes due to hydrodynamic, hydrothermal and physical regularities on the key quality indicator – moisture and ash content – were created. Experiments proved that ultrasound increases the efficiency of grain cleaning, initiates the process of shell peeling and reduces the time and energy costs of raw material moistening. The optimal processing parameters were determined: temperature 20–25 °C, time 100–150 s, frequency 18 kHz. Under these conditions the minimum humidity (12–14 %) and ash content (1.2–1.5 %) are achieved. The results of the study are important for the agro-industrial complex, as they allow to improve the quality of products, reduce production costs and strengthen the food security of the country. To further clarify the results, it is recommended to conduct additional experiments.