A New Empirical Model for Predicting Intermittent and Continuous Drying of “Neve” Melon ( Cucumis melo sp.) Seeds

Renato Costa da Silva, Wilton Pereira da Silva, Josivanda Palmeira Gomes, Alexandre José de Melo Queiroz, Rossana Maria Feitosa de Figueirêdo, Antonio Gilson Barbosa de Lima, Ana Paula Trindade Rocha, Laerson Duarte da Silva, João Paulo de Lima Ferreira, Dyego da Costa Santos and Romario Oliveira de Andrade
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Renato Costa da Silva: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Wilton Pereira da Silva: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Josivanda Palmeira Gomes: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Alexandre José de Melo Queiroz: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Rossana Maria Feitosa de Figueirêdo: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Antonio Gilson Barbosa de Lima: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Ana Paula Trindade Rocha: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Laerson Duarte da Silva: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
João Paulo de Lima Ferreira: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus I, Campina Grande 58428-830, Brazil
Dyego da Costa Santos: Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
Romario Oliveira de Andrade: Instituto Federal de Alagoas, Maceió 57020-600, Brazil

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: The objective of this work was to intermittently and continuously dry “Neve” melon seeds and study their behavior. The seeds were dried in a fixed-bed dryer at a temperature of 60 °C under the influence of air velocity of 1 m s −1 , followed by the prediction of drying kinetics, including that of intermittent processes with its effective time (pseudo-continuous drying) and tempering time (intermittent drying). The dried seeds were crushed to produce flour. The flours were evaluated for physicochemical parameters. To describe drying kinetics (continuous and intermittent drying) of “Neve” melon seeds, empirical models were used, including a new model proposed in this article to describe intermittent drying when the period of intermittence is included in the process. An optimization software was developed (LS Optimizer) and used to determine parameters (and their uncertainties) of the intermittent drying. The parameters of empirical models, used to describe continuous and pseudo-continuous drying, were determined by LAB Fit Curve Fitting Software. The Page model was the one that best fitted in the prediction of the experimental data of continuous and pseudo-continuous drying kinetics of seeds. A new model proposed in this work, based on Page and Lewis equations, was able to predict the kinetics of intermittent drying processes including the tempering time. The flours showed moisture content below 6%, and intermittent drying preserved proteins and lipids more than continuous drying, especially with drying and tempering periods of 10 and 20 min, respectively.

Keywords: tempering period; drying kinetics; LS Optimizer; flour characterization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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