Determination of Thin-Layer Drying Characteristics of a Plantain Sample at Different Temperatures

The thin-layer drying characteristics of plantain was analysed at different temperatures. The plantain sample was sliced to 5mm thickness size and dried at 40°C, 50°C, 60°C and 70°C. The moisture content (dry basis), moisture ratio, effective diffusivity and activation energy were determined within the temperature range. The moisture content of cooking plantain on dry basis was found to be 1.70g moisture/g dry sample at the beginning of the drying. The highest moisture removal of 1.58g/g dry sample occurred at the 70°C drying temperature. The effective diffusivity obtained from the experimental data is within the range 2.85x10⁻¹⁰-6.65x10⁻¹⁰m²/s while the activation energy is 476.54 J/smol. The rate of moisture removal, moisture ratio slope, effective diffusivity and activation energy values obtained from the experimental values increase with the drying temperature.