Effects of “Natural” Water and “Added” Water on Prediction of Moisture Content and Bulk Density of Shelled Corn from Microwave Dielectric Properties

Dielectric properties of samples of shelled corn of "natural" water content and those prepared by adding water were measured in free space at microwave frequencies and 23 degrees C. Results of measurements of attenuation, phase shift and dielectric constant and loss factor at 9 GHz show no difference between the samples with "natural" water and those in which water was added artificially. Bulk densities and moisture contents predicted from calibration equations expressed in terms of dielectric properties of both natural and added water samples agreed closely, and standard errors were less than 1% for moisture content and relative error for bulk density was less than 5%.