Abstract

Modelling the Influence of Hot Air on the Drying Kinetics of Turmeric Slices

Adekanmi Olusegun Abioye, Adefemiwa Ayobami Adekunle*, Olorunfemi Adebisi Jeremiah, IbrahimOlajide Bazambo, Oluwakemi Busayo Adetoro, Khafayat Oluwadamilola Mustapha, Chioma FavourOnyeka, Thomas Adedayo Ayorinde

The influence of different drying temperatures and slice thickness on the drying kinetics of turmeric slices was studied. The best model to predict the drying kinetics was also determined. Turmeric slices (3 mm, 5 mm and 7 mm) were dried at 40, 50 and 60°Cin a laboratory oven dryer. Four thin layer drying models (Newton, Henderson and Pabis, Logarithmic and Page) were fitted to the experimental data and selection was done based on model with d lowest reduced chi-square, sum square error (SSE) and root mean square error (RMSE). Drying time varied between 420 and 1020 min, 540 and 1080 min and 660-1140 min as the air temperature increased from40 to 60°C.The effective moisture diffusivity coefficient increased with increasing drying temperature and was found to be between 1.35×10-10m2s-1, and 5.00×10-10m2s-1, 3.00 × 10-10m2s-1and 10.91 × 10-10m2s-1and4.56×10-10m2s-1and13.00×10-10m2s-1at40,50and60°C,respectively.Thevaluesobtainedforthe activation energy for moisture diffusion was found to be 56.809, 56.060 and 45.561 kJmol-1for 3, 5 and 7 mm, respectively. Page model was found to best describe the oven drying of turmericslices.

Published Date: 2021-04-01; Received Date: 2021-03-11