Abstract
The methods for drying agricultural products are necessary to check the quality of the final product and feasibility of the process. The objective of this study was to perform the drying of pear by continuous and intermittent methods (α = 2/3) at two different temperatures, compare the two methods and describe the processes using mathematical and diffusion models to evaluate the saving of time and effective processing energy. For continuous drying, Page model was the one which best fitted to the experimental data, with highest coefficient of determination and lowest chi-square. Regarding intermittent drying Page model was also the one which best fitted to the experimental data for the two temperatures studied. When comparing the drying methods studied, it was found that intermittent drying produced a similar and considerably better effect on the energy saving aspect, compared with continuous drying: 41.7% at 50 °C and 25.8% at 70 °C. The effect of time intervals with the product out of the dryer, during the intermittent drying process, was reflected in the increase in the diffusion coefficient, so that the transport of moisture occurred more quickly for this type of drying, which contributes to justify the reduction of effective operating time and increased dry product quality.
Highlights
IntroductionDrying is a method of water removal used in the pharmaceutical (Pakowski and Mujumdar, 2007) and paper (Stenström, 2020) industries, and in the ceramic (da Silva et al, 2013) and foodstuff (da Silva et al, 2011) industries, among others, being a fundamental method in the conservation of agricultural products after harvest.Pear production in Brazil is still very modest, and the low quality of the fruit produced, due to the difficulty of finding cultivars that adapt to unfavorable climatic conditions, prevents this fruit from meeting the demands of the consumer market, so it is mostly (approximately 90%)2022, Vol 10, No 1 imported from countries such as Argentina, Chile and Portugal (Faoro and Orth, 2010; Fachinello et al, 2011; Revista Cultivar, 2020)
Drying is a method of water removal used in the pharmaceutical (Pakowski and Mujumdar, 2007) and paper (Stenström, 2020) industries, and in the ceramic and foodstuff industries, among others, being a fundamental method in the conservation of agricultural products after harvest.Pear production in Brazil is still very modest, and the low quality of the fruit produced, due to the difficulty of finding cultivars that adapt to unfavorable climatic conditions, prevents this fruit from meeting the demands of the consumer market, so it is mostly2022, Vol 10, No 1 imported from countries such as Argentina, Chile and Portugal (Faoro and Orth, 2010; Fachinello et al, 2011; Revista Cultivar, 2020)
Page model was the one which best fitted to the experimental data, with highest coefficient of determination and lowest chi-square
Summary
Drying is a method of water removal used in the pharmaceutical (Pakowski and Mujumdar, 2007) and paper (Stenström, 2020) industries, and in the ceramic (da Silva et al, 2013) and foodstuff (da Silva et al, 2011) industries, among others, being a fundamental method in the conservation of agricultural products after harvest.Pear production in Brazil is still very modest, and the low quality of the fruit produced, due to the difficulty of finding cultivars that adapt to unfavorable climatic conditions, prevents this fruit from meeting the demands of the consumer market, so it is mostly (approximately 90%)2022, Vol 10, No 1 imported from countries such as Argentina, Chile and Portugal (Faoro and Orth, 2010; Fachinello et al, 2011; Revista Cultivar, 2020). According to Revista Cultivar (2020), pear is among the temperate climate fruits of greatest interest worldwide, being the most imported by Brazil Another relevant point as a bottleneck in agricultural production is post-harvest loss, mainly due to the ease of deterioration of these products, which still represents a major problem in the sector. The diffusion of water from the center to the periphery of the product and the evaporation of surface water occurs in a milder and more balanced way (Elias, 2002; Elias et al, 2010) It is worth mentioning the importance of studying problems involving the intermittent drying of solids with infinite slab geometry in order to evaluate the effect of process variables on the product and the use of diffusion and mathematical models to describe the fruit drying process
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