Estimating the Drying Kinetics of Spiced Okpokuru (Oryctes rhinoceros) with the use of some Thin-Layer Drying Models
Authors: Zibokere DS, Egbe EW
DOI Info: N/A
ABSTRACT
Okpokuru is the larvae of a red-headed palm weevil (Oryctes rhinoceros) being consumed in its cooked, dried or semi dried state. Drying is a veritable technology for storage beyond immediate consumption. This study thus, investigated the drying behaviour of the larvae in thin-layers using a laboratory convective oven dryer. A temperature range of 50 – 100 °C in multiples of 10 °C was selected and applied. Results were fitted to three thin-layer models of Page, Lewis, and Henderson-Parbis and compared using suitable statistical parameters (R2, RMSE and χ2) to select the suitable estimating thin-layer model. The emanating drying coefficients and the effective moisture transport process were evaluated using the linearized thin-layer drying model of Fick’s second law diffusion equation. Constant rate period was observed to be completely absent during the drying process. The Page model and that of Henderson-Parbis respectively showed a reliable prediction of the drying kinetics of the red-head palm weevil’s larvae at the chosen temperatures. The temperature related activation energy is 28.5 kJ/mol and the effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 3.943×10-7 - 1.3487×10-6 m2/sec showing that the moisture reduction from the samples took place entirely in the falling rate period. Drying rate along with characterizing drying constant also increased exponentially with temperature.
Affiliations: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Keywords: Red-head Palm Weevils, Thin-layer Drying Models, Drying Kinetics, Activation Energy, Food Storage And Preservation
Published date: 2020/12/30
