2.4.1. Determination of Moisture Content

The empty evaporated dishes were weighed on an electronic balance before adding the sample. Then, 3 g of the sample powder was placed in an empty evaporated dish. The weighed samples were placed in an oven at 105°C for 3 hours to vaporize the water. Then, the evaporated dish was transferred into a desiccator and allowed to cool before determining its weight. The dried samples were weighted three times, and the mean of weighted sample was determined [23]. Moisture content was calculated using the following formula:

where W₁ = weight of the evaporated dish with sample before drying (3 g); W₂ = weight of the evaporated dish and sample after drying.