Performance evaluation of deck oven for baking of finger millet biscuit

Abstract

India is the largest producer of millet in the world. In Maharashtra finger millet varieties is grown in kharif season Dapoli 1, Phule Nachani, KOPN 235, KoPLM 83 is grown. According to the MoAFW, India report, in the year 2023-24 0.70 lakh hectare area of finger millet was grown in Maharashtra, from which about 0.88 lakh tonnes production was obtained, i.e. 1251 kg per hectare. An oven is a dry heating device that is housed in a thermally insulated container. A common device in the food service business is the baking oven. In a baking oven, heat is transferred across the baking material by conduction over the contact area between the product and metal surface, radiation from the oven's heating surfaces, convention heat transfer from the air and forced heat transfer from a fan. The performance evaluation of the deck oven was carried out with different parameters from that parameter average electric consumption for baking, average gas consumption, average specific thermal energy for baking, oven capacity, baking efficiency of deck oven and cost benefit ratio for was found to be 0.356 kWh/kg, 0.403 kg, 471255.19 J, 2 kg/batch, 90.90% and 1.63, respectively. From that result it was conclude that, the deck oven is quite efficient in baking quality and uniformity, which can be provided to rural entrepreneurs for commercial manufacturing bakery products.