Characteristics of drying cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) using a portable type of dryer

Abstract

Agricultural materials need to be dried because they are perishable and overgrown by microbes. Sun drying is helpful because it is cheap and available, but it is often interrupted if the weather is cloudy or rainy. If the dryer is large, it will be difficult to move. In this study, a designed portable dryer was technically tested on cayenne pepper. The research method was carried out experimentally. The results showed that the temperature inside can reach 55.8 0 C-57.09 °C. The length of effective time for drying cayenne pepper using the portable dryer takes a range of 23-28 hours, with an average initial moisture content of 75.01% reaching the final moisture content of 9.05%. The drying rate time is 2.64% / hour. Further research suggests the presence of artificial airflow in the dryer so that the uniformity of water content reduction in each drying shelf can be achieved.