Numerical Simulation of the Drying Kinetics of Sweet Potato to Prevent the Growth of the Fungi Rhizopus oryzae

Abstract

Sweet potatoes are prone to fungi Rhizopus oryzae that results in fast spoilage upon delivery due to its moisture content which can develop fungi that can give foul odor and color. The decrease in moisture content can prolong the shelf-life of the sweet potato. This problem can be addressed by a drying process where a hot tray air dryer was used. Sweet potatoes were cut to 5x5x30 mm uniformly and dried it at 40°C, 50°C, 60°C until the constant weight of the batch was obtained. Laplace Transform Model, Non-Linear Decomposition Model, and Page Model are the three mathematical model that were compared to determine what is the best fit for the drying of the sweet potato. Based on data gathered, Page Model is the best fit at 60˚C. Page Model fitted best from the other two models with an average drying time of 115 minutes and 46 mins to obtain the desired moisture content of 10%.

Medicinal Plant Drying Using a Superabsorbent Polymer Dryer Incorporated with an Insulated Heater

“…The water transport mechanism is controlled by moisture diffusion [70]. According to the results obtained from this study, the constant period was expected to occur during the initial drying process (below 10-12 h), while the falling rate period was likely to happen after 10-12 h. Other materials from the literature that follow the Page drying model include sweet potato strips [71], red rice [72], saffron [73], spine gourd [74], and sweet lime peel [75].…”

Numerical Simulation of the Drying Kinetics of Yellow Onions (Allium cepa) to Prevent the Growth of Aspergillus Niger

“…Hence, the Non-linear Decomposition Model is the most appropriate model for predicting the thin-layer drying characteristics of yellow onion slices at optimum drying temperature of 70°C. Additionally, the Non-linear Decomposition Model is typically used for thin-layer drying like wood, passion fruit seeds, cocoa beans, and green beans [16,17].…”