Evaluation of drying behavior of sweet potato slices in convective air dryer

Abstract

In this paper, drying behavior of sweet potato slices at three different temperatures (50, 60 and 70°C) and slice thicknesses (1.5, 3 and 4.5 cm) was studied. Results shows that drying time increased appreciably as the slice thickness increased from 1.5 to 4.5 cm. The drying time decreased with increase in convective air temperature from 50°C to 70°C. For a slice thickness of 1.5 cm the drying rate increased rapidly in the beginning, attained a maximum value followed by a gradual decrease. The average drying rate varies from 3.25 to 0.12 (kg of water/ kg of dry solid) s-1. The drying rate increased with increase in temperature.