Drying characteristics of osmo-foam-mat mango pulp.
Alakali J. S., Kucha E. I., Ariahu C. C.
Author Affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Makurdi, Makurdi, Nigeria.
Journal of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Ecology 3 : 87-98
Abstract : The effects of osmotic pre-treatment and the use of foam stabilizer (glycerol monostearate, GMS) as foaming agent on foam-mat drying of 'Peter' mango pulp were investigated. Results showed that the drying rate of osmosed pulp was generally faster than non-osmosed samples. There was no significant difference (p?0.05) in the effect of level of GMS on water loss, even though an increase in the foam stabilizer level generally increased moisture loss during the drying process. The effect of temperature on the drying rate was significant. However, temperature differences of less than 10°C did not have much effect on the drying rate. Foam-mat drying of the mango pulp took place principally in the constant rate period and mass transfer followed Ficks unsteady state diffusion model. Effective diffusivity increased with temperature and varied between 5.70×10-7 to 1.32×10-6 m2/h, within the range reported for food products.