Performance of Food Dehydrator Using Different Type of Distributor Base Plate

Abstract

AbstractDehydrating food is the oldest method in preserving food in the history of mankind. Food dehydration is the process of decreasing the moisture content of food to low levels in order to extend its shelf life [1]. As a result of scientific advancements, food dehydration became a global sector capable of supplying convenient and healthy meals [2]. Today, the technology in dehydrating food keeps growing and variation of food dehydrators has been produced by engineers. Reducing the number of product failures by inventing a way to detect production faults at their earliest potential stage along with the full value-added stream is one way to minimize the manufacturing costs [3]. One of the most common types of dryers for food is the food dryer. This method is typically utilized on a smaller scale. The aim of the food dehydrator is to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus on food through the removal of moisture. In this experiment one of the food dehydrators is Morgan Food Dehydrator which is used in this project. The main objective of this project is to analyze the rate of dehydration of the existing dehydrator in market and design the best pattern to increase the dehydration rate. It will come with 3 different designs that follow the concept of design distributor of fluidized bed dryer. In this study, the temperature and air velocity are maintained and the only concern at the end of the experiment is the time taken for the food to dry depending on the suggested moisture content left. From these experiments, the result shows that the different type of distributor base plate have a better drying rate than the current existing product.KeywordsDrying processLoss on dryingFlowThermal