LAUSR

Candy crystals prepared from palmyra palm were analyzed for various physical and chemical properties during processing. The scanning electron microscopy displayed smooth and clear crystals of varied sizes. As the temperature of the jaggery increased from 28C to 108.4C, there was a subsequent increase in the total soluble solids from 28.8 to 84°Brix. Thermal conductivity decreased from 0.44 to 0.14 W/mK, thermal diffusivity decreased from 0.31 × 10−6 to 0.05 × 10−6 m2/s and volumetric specific heat decreased from 1.35 × 103 to 0.64 × 103 kJ/m3⋅K. Thermal resistivity increased from 201.7 × 10−2 to 755.1 × 10−2 C⋅m/W. The maximum force taken as hardness was found to be 6,419 g. Power was found to be best for fitting the viscosity values (R2 = 0.93). Practical Applications The physicochemical properties, especially the crystalline structure of the foods, have much importance in the product quality and stability and mouth-feel during consumption of the product. It was found that the physical and other engineering properties of the candy were temperature dependent. The effect of temperature on the density and viscosity could be very handy for preliminary equipment design. Palm jaggery is very valuable in terms of its health benefits, and this research will be very helpful for commercializing the jaggery-based products.