Drying characteristics of fermented‐cooked cassava chips used in the production of complementary food: Mathematical and Gaussian process regression modeling approaches

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AbstractThe hot air drying characteristics of fermented‐cooked (FC) cassava chips were investigated at a temperature of 50, 60, and 70°C and the fan speed of 0.5, 0.9, and 1.3 m/s. Proximate compositions, functional characteristics, and moisture diffusion parameters of the FC cassava chips were also studied. Furthermore, the applicability of mathematical (MM) and Gaussian process regression (GPR) – based modeling approaches for modeling drying kinetics of the chips was analyzed. Effective diffusivity (Deff) increased with an increase in temperature and fan speed and ranged between 1.1 × 108 and 6 × 108 m2/s. The activation energy (Ea) decreased with fan speed level up to 0.9 m/s and fluctuated between 0.9 and 1.3 m/s. Ea was from 46 to 57 KJ/mol. The drying rate decreased with an increase in temperature and fan speed. Process variables also showed a significant effect on the proximate compositions. FTIR result revealed that drying affected the functional characteristics of the chips. The GPR‐based model showed superiority and can therefore be used for optimization and control monitoring which are necessary for product standardization.Practical ApplicationsDrying of food materials happens to be a major unit operation in the most food process line, prompting the establishment of its drying conditions important. Drying kinetic modeling is very crucial for accurate control of the drying process in the industries. This study shows that GPR‐ based models performed better than mathematical models for modeling the drying curve of FC cassava chips. It also shows how some processing operation affects the functional properties of the chips. GPR‐models are useful in developing robust control systems for industrial drying processes.