KINETIC MODELLING AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE DRYING OF COCOYAM AND POTATO
- Project Research
- 1-5 Chapters
- Abstract : Available
- Table of Content: Available
- Reference Style: APA
- Recommended for : Student Researchers
- NGN 5000
Statement of the problem
One of the major reasons for food shortage is the unavailability of adequate preservation facilities. Some of the food crops are seasonal, being readily available during some periods of the year and scare during other periods due to inefficient preservation. Potato and cocoyam, though very nutritious, easily deteriorates due to the high moisture content they contain which favors the growth and activities of micro-organisms. Drying is one of the ways of reducing the moisture content and hence increasing the shelf life. Despite the fact that Nigeria is one of the largest producers of these crops (the largest producer of cocoyam), there is insufficient data on the thermal and engineering properties of the drying of these crops. Although heated air drying is usually adopted as a cost efficient method of food preservation, yet there is still insufficient understanding of the drying characteristics and behavior of much of Nigerian local staples, which has led to lack of interest in some of these crops due to poor processing and preservation practices. This has led to nonavailability of technical information such as the drying rate constant, activation energy (Ea), Specific Energy consumption (SEC), moisture diffusivity (Deff), thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity etc on some Nigerian crops in literature, even when they are good sources of dietary requirements. The implication of this is that they have remained unexploited and has limited information that otherwise would have been helpful in designing industrial dryers. Hence, this research work focuses on modeling the drying of potato and cocoyam using four drying methods so as to compare their effectiveness and the qualities of the dried products. It will also attempt to provide the necessary technical information on the drying of cocoyam and potato produced in Nigeria which will be useful in the optimal design of the dryers for effective and optimal storage of such Nigerian food crops. This is because in spite of their nutritional importance, cocoyam, in particular, has not received any deliberate attention to address its research and development. It receives low research priority in all regional agricultural research centers and therefore, its contribution to food security and economy is underestimated.
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