
Investigation of the Drying Kinetics of Pre-treated and Untreated Sweet Potato to Prevent the Growth of the Fungi Rhizopus oryzae
Sweet vegetables are susceptible to the fungi Rhizopus oryzae, that causes rapid spoilage upon childbirth due to the liquid content, which can expand a fungus that produces a bad smell and a cottony white color. The decline in moisture content can longer the sweet potato’s useful life of product. This problem maybe addressed by a drying process using a slick tray dryer. The drying action of pre-treated and prepared sweet potatoes was investigated to produce drained sweet potatoes outside the growth of the fungi. Sweet vegetables were peeled and cut into 5x5x30 mm consistently. For the pre-treatment, the sliced sweet vegetable strips were soaked in 2%(w/v) Potassium Metabisulfite (KMS) answer at 50∘C for 15 minutes and were exhausted under standard conditions. The pre-treated and not cooked sweet potato strips were drained in separate trays at 40∘C, 50∘C and 60∘C using a slick dryer until the loyal weight of the batch was acquired. Numerical simulation utilizing the Laplace Transform Model, Non-Linear Decomposition Model, and Page Model were compared to decide the best fit model for the drying of the pre-doctored and untreated sweet potato strips. Based on the dossier gathered, the Page Model was erect to be ultimate suitable model to describe the drying traits of pre-treated and prepared sweet potato strips. The best drying temperature was 60∘C and thought a drying time of 46.01 minutes utilizing the Lagrange interpolation to attain 10% moisture that prevent the growth of Rhizopus oryzae. The air-dried pre-discussed samples showed a good neurological quality limit such as color and fabric compared to air-dried not cooked sample. The pre-treated sweet vegetable strips avoid the unacceptable changes such as the open color, texture and odor of sweet vegetables after air-drying.
Author(s) Details:
Lola Domnina B. Pestaño,
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines and Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
Fauve Ira Alexa V. Obregon,
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines and Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
Maria Blesy C. Silvano,
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
Jeelaine G. Vicencio,
Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/CPAFS-V1/article/view/8915
Keywords: Drying kinetics, sweet potato, moisture content, hot tray air dryer was used, numerical simulation, mathematical model