This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Blasco, M. Articles by Mulet, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Effect of Blanching and Air Flow Rate on Turmeric Drying

AINIA, Centro Tecnológico, Parque Tecnológico de Valencia. Benjamín Franklin, 5–11, 46980 Paterna, Spain

J. V. García-Pérez

J. Bon

Departamento de Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain

J. E. Carreres

AINIA, Centro Tecnológico, Parque Tecnológico de Valencia. Benjamín Franklin, 5–11, 46980 Paterna, Spain

A. Mulet

Departamento de Tecnología de Alimentos, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain amulet{at}tal.upv.es

Turmeric processing involves two main steps, blanching and drying. Blanching is a common step in the traditional processing of rhizomes, and hot air drying is an alternative to traditional solar drying. For this study, drying kinetics were performed at different air flow rates (0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.2, 2.1, 2.6, 3 and 4m/s) to determine the effect of air flow on the process. To examine the blanching effect, drying kinetics were carried out with blanched and unblanched rhizomes at different temperatures (60, 70, 80, 90 and 100ºC). A diffusion model and two empirical models (Weibull and Peleg) were used to describe mass transfer during drying. The effect of air flow rate on external resistance was observed, and the air velocity transition zone between the external and internal resistance control zone was identified (1–2m/s). Blanching previous to drying increased the process rate at all the temperatures tested, although its effect was reduced when the air drying temperature increased. Empirical models fitted better drying kinetics than the diffusion model, however, the diffusion model provides valuable information about the phenomenon of water removal and scaling up.

Key Words: Curcuma longa • turmeric • air drying • blanching • kinetics • modelling

Food Science and Technology International, Vol. 12, No. 4, 315-323 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1082013206067352


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?