INFLUENCE OF CRYOGENIC AND AMBIENT GRINDING ON GRINDING CHARACTERISTICS OF FENUGREEK POWDER: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Grinding characteristics of fenugreek (cv. AM-1) were carried out at cryogenic and ambient conditions. It was observed that it affected average particle size, volume surface mean diameter, mass mean diameter, volume mean diameter, specific surface of mixture, number of particles per gram, energy constants Rittinger and Kick's - and specific energy consumption. Values of average particle size, volume surface mean diameter, mass mean diameter, volume mean diameter, specific surface of mixture, number of particles per gram, Rittinger's constant, Kick's constant and specific energy consumption varied from 0.31 to 0.80, 0.31 to 0.57, 0.27 to 0.77, 0.25 to 0.41 mm; 16,413 to 34,254 mm(2)/g; 5,863 to 111,620 particles per gram, 4.97 to 35.87 kWh/t, 4.76 to 53.59 kWh/t, and 8.37 to 50.17 kWh/t, respectively, in the moisture content range of 5-15% wet basis at ambient and cryogenic grinding. Comparative study had shown that ambient grinding needs more power and specific energy than cryogenic grinding.