Authors : U.J. Etoamaihe and K.O. Ibeawuchi
Abstract: Fresh cassava (Manihot sp.) NR 8082 tubers were peeled and diced into cubes of size thicknesses 5 and 10 mm, respectively. The cubes were dried in thin layers in an oven drier. Thicknesses (x = 5 and 10 mm) drying temperatures of the air (70 and 80°C) and drying times (from 0 min until the sample attained equilibrium, at intervals of 10 min). The response variable was the moisture content of the cassava slices. Results showed that high temperatures and smaller thickness of slices resulted in faster approaches to equilibrium moisture content of the samples. Two drying models namely page and exponential models were used to compare with the obtained experimental data. The drying data of the cassava slices fitted well with Page model with high accuracy for artificial drying (R2>0.9). The predicted and experimental results were very much in agreement.
U.J. Etoamaihe and K.O. Ibeawuchi, 2010. Prediction of the Drying Rates of Cassava Slices During Oven Drying. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 5: 308-311.