Experimental analysis of thin layer drying of ginger rhizome in convective environment

Abstract

This research presents the outcomes of thin layer convective drying of ginger rhizomes with different treatments using the ARS-0680 environmental chambers for the drying process. TD 1002A - Linear Heat Conduction Experimental equipment was used in measuring the thermal conductivity of the ginger samples at varied temperature levels ranging from 10oC - 60oC and drying time of 2 - 24 hours. The result of this experiment shows that the average moisture content for 2 hours drying at 60oC was 70.6% while at 24 hours drying was an average of 7.55% which is close to the range of 4 - 7%. The drying rate at drying times of 24 hours was 0.889/oC and 0.4437/oC for 2 hours drying, giving 50% by moisture reduction rate. While the lowest moisture content (5.98%) is obtained for unpeeled ginger and the highest (9.04%) at 24 hours drying at 60oC, the analysis shows the variation in the temperature varied as the ginger shrinks when subjected to heat.