Understanding air-drying behavior of potato peel waste

Abstract

Air-drying kinetics of potato peel, a wastage of potato processing, was characterized in this work. For this, potato peel samples were dried in convective dryer at different operating conditions from which drying kinetics curves were estimated. Potato flesh samples were dried under the same conditions for comparison purposes. As well, proximate composition, scanning electron microscopy images of tissue structure, total phenolics and chlorogenic acid contents, were determined to characterize fresh and dried samples of potato peel and flesh. Sorption isotherms at ambient temperature were also established. Both drying kinetics curves and sorption isotherms were well fitted by Fick’s and Guggenheim–Anderson-de Boer mathematical models. Results pointed out the need for appropriate selection of drying parameters in further transformation of potato waste.