INFRARED DRYING OF RHUBARBS CUBES

Abstract

In order to obtain dehydrated products of high quality, infrared drying in rhubarb cubes was researched at different sample thicknesses with IR film drying possibilities with small heating up to 40 oC. The drying characteristics of rhubarb cubes were studied using non-linear multiple regression analysis. Using experimental data, the two arguments non-linear equation was obtained to evaluate the drying time and sample thickness effect on rhubarb moisture. The determination coefficient of this correlation was R2 = 0.98. The results indicated that after 20 hours drying rhubarb samples with thickness 0.5 cm are dried up to 2 %, samples with 1 cm and 2 cm thickness dried up to 17 % and 25 % correspondingly. 1 cm thick rhubarb samples temperature rose from 24 oC to 33 oC during the experiment. With decreasing moisture of the product more infrared energy is used to warm the body and less for water evaporation.

Keywords: drying, IR film, rhubarb.

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2015.026