Abstract:
This study investigated thin
layer drying of cantaloupe slices under
different drying conditions with initial
moisture content about 18.53 (d.b.). Air
temperature levels of 40, 50, 60 and 70°C
were applied in drying of samples. Fick´s
second law in diffusion was applied to
compute the effective moisture diffusivity
(Deff) of cantaloupe slices. Minimum and
maximum values of Deff were 4.05×10-10
and 1.61×10-9 m2/s, respectively. Deff values
increased as the input air temperature was
increased. Activation energy values of
cantaloupe slices were found between 30.43
and 36.23 kJ/mol for 40°C to 70°C,
respectively. The specific energy
consumption for drying cantaloupe slices
was calculated at the boundary of 1.01×105
and 9.55×105 kJ/kg. Increasing in drying air
temperature in different air velocities led to
increase in specific energy value. Results
showed that applying the temperature of
70°C is more effective for convective drying
of cantaloupe slices. The aforesaid drying
parameters are important to select the best
operational point of a dryer and to precise
design of the system.
