Monitoring Temperature Profile and Drying Kinetics of Thin-Layer Banana Slices under Controlled Forced Convection Conditions

The drying kinetics of banana slices were examined in a forced convection dryer using an infrared camera to monitor the temperature profile and drying kinetics under control conditions. The air temperature was tested at 40 & DEG;C, 50 & DEG;C, 60 & DEG;C, and 70 & DEG;C and the air velocity at 0.2 m/s, 0.5 m/s, and 0.75 m/s, with initial moisture contents of the banana ranging from 76-80% wet basis. The thicknesses of the banana slices being dried were 2, 4, 6, and 8 mm. The optimum drying conditions for the highest drying rate and best color were found to be a temperature of 70 & DEG;C, an air velocity of 0.75 m/s, a low relative humidity of 5 to 7%, and banana slices with a thickness of 2 mm. As the air temperature increased, the drying rate and shrinkage also increased. Shrinkage varies concerning moisture loss, and the reduction in radial dimension of banana slices was around 17-23% from the original slice before drying. An empirical mathematical equation was derived by applying the technique of multiple linear regression analysis to the whole dataset of the many experiments of the experimental work. The moisture diffusivity was between 7.88 x 10(-10) to 1.04 x 10(-10) m(2)/s, and the average activated energy of the banana was 34.29 kJ/mol. The experimental data were used to fit the drying models. The Midilli model was predicted to produce the closest results to the experimental data.