Drying Kinetics of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.

Abstract

Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. (giant curcuma) is one of herbal plants which is easily found in tropical region such as in Indonesia and has been widely used for medical purposes. This plant has been intensively used as the main ingredients of traditional medicines due to its potent healing power. Giant curcuma is generally dried using a conventional way under the sun prior to use. This method was less controlled, thus leading to poorer quality of products. Drying in a controlled batch dryer could improve product quality in overall. This experiment aimed to study the drying kinetics of giant curcuma using a laboratory designed batch dryer. Drying temperatures were varied between 40 ∘ C to 60 ∘ C. Samples were also dried in the oven at corresponding temperatures as the control. The drying was conducted until approximately 11 % dry basis moisture content inside the samples was achieved. In general, the drying time of giant curcuma were shorter when the temperatures were increased. This was also confirmed by Page's Model whereby drying rate constants increased four times both in the batch dryer as well as in the oven when the drying temperatures were increased from 40 ∘ C to 60 ∘ C.