Abstract
This work evaluates the yam (Dioscorea rotundata) drying performance of solar adsorption drying (SAD) compared to solar drying (SD) and open sun drying (OSD). The evaluation concerns the drying cycle for batches of yam, the effect on vitamin C, color and composition. As SAD can be applied during the night, by using air dehumidified by passing through a bed of silica gel, the cycle time for drying batches of yam can be reduced over 20–25% compared to SD and halved compared to OSD. SAD is thereby most effective during the first nights of drying when the driving force is the highest. Composition was not affected by drying methods but did affect vitamin C content. Vitamin C retention is not significant different for SD and SAD, but with a slight preference for SD. For three yam cultivars (‘Pona’, ‘Lilii’ and ‘Dente’), ‘Lilii’ dried fastest and ‘Dente’ drying slowest. SAD maintained 16 the whitish color of yam better than the other drying methods.
Highlights
IntroductionYam (from the Dioscoreaceae family) is a perennial tuber crop from a climbing plant
Yam is a perennial tuber crop from a climbing plant
As the driving force for night drying is the strongest for a wet product, this experiment started with night drying using dried silica gel as an adsorbent
Summary
Yam (from the Dioscoreaceae family) is a perennial tuber crop from a climbing plant. Some species (Dioscorea) contain toxic or bioactive chemicals, while others are cultivated for pharmaceutical purposes [1]. Yams vary in appearance between and within species, all yams have common growth habit of thin, twinning vines and a shallow wide radiator root system. ‘Lilii’ and ‘Dente’) tubers are long cylindrical and tapering in shape with rough scaly brown, firm exterior texture and white flesh. White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is the most widely grown and preferred yam species in Ghana, especially the ‘Pona’ cultivar for both the domestic and export market. The other important cultivars are ‘Dente’ and ‘Lilii’. The cooked yam is pounded into a dough-like paste called fufu is eaten with soup which is a delicacy in Ghana [2]
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