EVALUATION OF DRYING CHARACTERISTICS AND THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF UNRIPE PLANTAIN (original) (raw)

In this study, plantain chips were dried at 50, 60 and 70 o C in a laboratory tunnel dryer. Kinetics of drying was investigated using Fick's second law and nonlinear regression analysis was used to fit in the experimental data. The model reliability was tested using coefficient of determination (R 2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) Mean Bias Error (MBE) and reduced chi square (χ 2). The proximate, bulk density and thermal properties were also investigated. The results show that the range of values of statistical criteria were R 2 : (0.847-0.997), RMSE (0.01869-0.03418), MBE (-6.92E-3-0.03619) and (χ 2) (1.3E-4-3.52E-3) The proximate result showed that the range of values were: moisture (8.15-11.47%), protein (3.61-5.15), lipid (0.20-0.78), fibre (3.27-4.56%), ash (4.47-6.91%) and carbohydrate content (74.13-74.62%). The range of values for bulk density were (544.01-628.02 kg/m 3), specific heat capacity (1.68-1.76 KJ/g K), thermal conductivity (0.253-0.267W/K) and thermal diffusivity (0.0242-0.0278m 2 /s). In conclusion, the drying rate increased with increase in temperature and drying pattern was observed to be in the falling rate period. R 2 showed that page model best described the drying behaviour of the samples. Proximate decreased with increase in temperature but ash content increased with increase in temperature. The bulk density, specific heat capacity, and thermal conductivity decrease with increase in temperature while thermal diffusivity increase as temperature increased.

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