Evaluation of Design Parameters on Drying of Kiwi Fruit

Filiz Ozgen,Nevin Celik

doi:10.3390/app9010010

Abstract

In this study, the drying of kiwi fruit in a convective dryer is examined experimentally. Air velocity, thickness of the slices and drying time are the varied parameters in drying process. In the experimental study, kiwi slices having thickness of 4 and 8 mm are dried in the dryer under the conditions of 45 °C temperature of the drying air, 10% relative humidity and 0.5–1.5 m/s drying air velocity. In addition to the tests, the effects of mentioned drying parameters on drying are analyzed by ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) method to find the contribution rate of each parameter. For this aim, an orthogonal array is arranged by using Taguchi design of experiment method. As the results of experiments and variance analysis, it has been determined that, drying air velocity plays a significant effect on total drying time. The minimum drying time (225 min) is achieved for 1.5 m/s for 4 mm slices, and the maximum drying time (750 min) is achieved for 0.5 m/s for the kiwi sample sliced 8 mm thick. It is also concluded that, working with the convective dryer at different velocities is advantageous in terms of preserving brightness and color quality.

Highlights

Since agricultural products produced in large quantities are not immediately consumed, the durability times are very short
The experiments examining the effect of air velocity on drying in the drying process of the kiwifruit were carried out for 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s of air at 45 ◦ C and a relative humidity of 10%
Fresh kiwi samples with slice thickness of 4 mm and 8 mm were used in the experiments

Summary

Introduction

Since agricultural products produced in large quantities are not immediately consumed, the durability times are very short. Keeping these products fresh is possible as a result of some special operations. Drying of kiwi fruit is often followed by physical and chemical changes which dramatically influence the process itself. One of the most important consequences of these changes is shrinkage: a volume reduction, coupled with shape and porosity changes and hardness increase. Such phenomena could be followed by surface cracking. Obvious exceptions are represented by foods, like dried plums and dates, usually eaten shrunken

Methods

Results

Conclusion