The objectives of this research were two: first to investigate experimentally the behavior of pineappl (Ananas comosus, L.) thin layer drying in a greenhouse-type solar dryer and second to describe the best fitting kinetic and mathematical model taken from literature. A large scale greenhouse dryer designed and installed at Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand was used to dry slices 1 cm width at temperature range between 25-60 °C with relative humidity between 50-90%. Nine statistical models, either empirical or semi-empirical, were tested in order to validate the experimental data. A non-linear regression analysis conducted by a statistical computer program was applied to evaluate the constants of all the models. The parameter values, root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and modelling efficiency (EFF) of the nine models were calculated. Comparison outcomes of two experiments are displayed between the predicted moisture content and the observed pineapple moisture content. Hasibuan and Daud drying model proved to describe the best pineapple solar drying curves. The two experiments were carried out on sunny days, the second experiment on the third day showed cloudiness decreasing the solar radiation. Mathematical models of pineapple drying in a greenhouse dryer have not been found so far in the literature. Drying curves obtained from experiments showed that the constant drying and the falling drying rate periods exist. Nine thin-layer drying models were fitted to two experimental data in order to describe the drying characteristics of pineapple founding that the Hasibuan and Daud model was the best fitting.
Effects of microwave pretreatment on the energy and exergy utilization in thin-layer drying of sour pomegranate arils