Evaluation of Drying Behaviour of Cassava Chips under Open Sun and Oven Drying Technologies

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of drying temperatures and time on the drying rates, moisture content, and cyanide contents of five different species of cassava chips using two different drying technologies (oven and sun-drying). Fresh cassava tubers were chipped to uniform sizes of about 5×2×1 cm and dried using the two drying methods. The proximate analysis of the five different species was carried out both before and after drying. The final moisture contents of samples A-E are within the range of 12.05-14.81% for oven drying and 12.42-14.81% for sun drying, with sample D maintaining the highest moisture contents in both drying technologies. The results equally showed that the drying rates for samples A-E are within the range of 0.15-0.20 g/min for oven drying, and 0.022-0.025 g/min for sun drying, with sample E maintaining the lowest drying rates in both drying technologies. Oven drying produced a higher drying rate than sun drying. However, the cyanide retention for samples A-E is within the range of 0.00930-0.05339 mg/g for oven drying, with sample D maintaining the highest cyanide retention, while it is 0.00728-0.01589 mg/g for sun drying, with sample E maintaining the lowest cyanide retention. The cyanide retention obtained in oven and sun drying could be compared favorably to the standard value, with slight discrepancies that could be attributed to the initial cyanide content of the species and the drying temperatures. The results also show that cyanide content elimination is more effective in sun-drying than oven-drying because the drying temperatures remained below 55℃, which is optimal for cyanogen degradation. On the effect of time, the results remained constant; hence, it was only a function of the drying temperatures.

Linear Programming Approach for Optimal Profit Mix of Cassava Grates and Flour

“…Following grating, the subsequent steps involved spinning, pulverizing, and drying, aiming to eliminate extract or water content for efficient drying. Drying could be achieved through sun-drying or mechanical dryers [15]; historically, cassava chips for flour were sun-dried, while mechanical drying was used for grates. However, recent practices favored mechanical drying for both products due to its time efficiency, particularly when weather conditions were unfavorable for sun-drying, thereby preventing disruptions in cassava flour production [16].…”