Air-drying of banana: Influence of experimental parameters, slab thickness, banana maturity and harvesting season

• Published in: Journal of food engineering Vol. 79; no. 1; pp. 200 - 207
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Minh-Hue, Price, William E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Air-drying; Banana dehydration; bananas; Biological and medical sciences; chemical composition; diffusivity; dried fruit; drying kinetics; drying temperature; Food engineering; Food industries; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fruit maturity; fruits (food); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; harvest date; mass flow; mass transfer; mature plants; Musa acuminata; relative humidity; shrinkage; Slab thickness; slabs; thickness; water activity; water content; Fruit maturity; Banana dehydration; Air-drying; Slab thickness; Monocotyledones; Fruit; Air drying; Harvesting; Musaceae; Dehydration; Banana; Thickness; Musa; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Season; Maturity
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2006.01.063

Air-drying of banana slabs has been investigated and the influence of experimental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and slab thickness has been studied. This was in part re-investigated because of inconsistencies in previous studies, particularly in relation to derived water diffusion coefficients. In addition, it is shown that harvest season and hence initial moisture content has a very marked influence on the drying kinetics. By contrast banana maturity (ripeness) has little influence on the kinetics despite there being significant differences in morphology and chemical composition between green and ripe bananas. The effect of these two variables on the drying kinetics has not previously been studied.