Thin layer drying curves for shredded breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)

A chart relating temperature and velocity to the drying time of single layered shredded breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is presented. Breadfruit, which can be dried and ground into gluten-free flour, was placed on screens in a controlled drying chamber. A design of experiment based on the independent variables of temperature (21, 40, 55°C), absolute humidity (0.01, 0.01125, 0.0125 kg/kg dry air), and air velocity (2.5, 4, 6 m/s) was executed. The data suggested that the moisture ratio is exponentially related to the time spent drying, thus the Page model was used to analyze a response surface that identified the key factors that influence drying. An analysis of the response surface indicated that temperature, velocity, and initial moisture content are the critical drying factors. To enable drying predictions, two variable quadratic equations and a chart relating drying time to temperature and velocity, based on 10% moisture content as dry, are given.

Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is a fruit that grows in the tropical regions of the world. Drying breadfruit is a cost effective means of preserving this resource which can be ground into a gluten-free flour. Processing breadfruit flour into nutritious products is an opportunity to overcome hunger, increase food security, and contribute to sustainable development on many island nations. Equations based on temperature and velocity and a chart relating these factors to an adequate drying time are presented. This original work provides new understandings of these variables and the chart relating drying time to air temperatures and velocities would be useful in post-harvest economic trade-off charts and system scaling.