Thermophysical Characterisation and Thermal Analysis of Functional Pellets Supplemented with Turmeric

It is important to understand the thermal behaviour of functional feed for weaning pigs, as it is useful in the production of pellets. The aim of this study was to evaluate the thermophysical characteristics and thermal analyses of functional feed pellets supplemented with turmeric when irradiated with a laser (60 s) and when the laser is switched off. Instrumentation used was (a) an open photoacoustic cell (OPC) technique and (b) a dual-instrumentation system for recording thermal images and temperature readings. The main findings were: (1) Thermal diffusivity α of formulations containing turmeric tends to decrease (44.73, 61.64, 40.96 and 59.78%) compared with formulations without turmeric. A significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) was found with the addition of turmeric (2%) and a positive correlation with the thermal diffusion length µs. (2). In the surface thermal analysis, temperatures, when exposed to laser light for 60 s, reached higher values in the formulations containing turmeric compared to those without turmeric. The highest thermal lag value was found for formulations containing turmeric. (3) α has a positive correlation (p < 0.01) with the temperatures obtained at the surface at 60 s during the laser-on phase. During the laser-off, there was a negative correlation in temperatures at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 s.