Combined Effect of Drying Time and Slice Thickness on the Solar Drying of Okra

✍ Scribed by Adom, K K; Dzogbefia, V P; Ellis, W O

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 352 KB
• Volume: 73
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199703)73:3<315::aid-jsfa718>3.0.co;2-n

✦ Synopsis

The e †ect of slice thickness and drying time on colour, viscosity, microbial load, moisture, crude Ðbre, vitamin C and ash contents of okra (Hibiscus esculentus) during solar drying was studied using three slice thicknesses (5É0 mm, 10É0 mm, 15É0 mm) obtained from a survey and Ðve drying times (0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h). The results showed that slice thickness had a signiÐcant e †ect (P \ 0É01) on moisture, crude Ðbre and ash contents but not on vitamin C content, viscosity, colour and microbial load. However, the e †ect of drying time was highly signiÐcant (P \ 0É01) on all the parameters determined. The combined e †ects of slice thickness and drying time were observed to be highly signiÐcant (P \ 0É05) on ash, crude Ðbre and moisture contents, viscosity and microbial load but had no signiÐcant e †ect (P \ 0É05) on colour and vitamin C content. There was a strong correlation between moisture content and ash (R \ [0É926), crude Ðbre (R \ [0É94), vitamin C contents (R \ 0É928) and viscosity (R \ [0É963) in all samples during drying. The study showed that a slice thickness of 10É0 mm and a drying time of 48 h was suitable for the solar drying of okra.