Development of powder from amaranthus by convective hot air drying at varied temperatures and its quality evaluation Sargar Yogesh Appaso, Swami Shrikant Baslingappa* Department of Post-Harvest Engineering, Post Graduate Institute of Post-Harvest Technology and Management, Killa-Roha, Dist: Raigad (Maharashtra State) (Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli-Campus Roha) India *Corresponding author: swami_shrikant1975@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 29 November, 2024. Abstract In the present investigation Amaranthus (Amaranthus spinosus) leaves were dried in a convective hot air dryer at 45°C, 55°C and 65°C. The air velocity inside the dryer was 2-3 m/s, and the drying process was completed within 5.5 hrs to 10.5 hrs. The drying rate increased with an increase in air temperature ,thus reducing the drying time. The experimental drying data of amaranthus were applied to three moisture ratio models, Newton, Page, Henderson, and Pabismodels. Among all the models, the Page model was found to be the best for explaining the drying characteristics of amaranthus leaves. The effective moisture diffusivity varied from 3.114 × 10−10, 5.735 × 10−10, and 7.729 × 10−10 over the temperature range studied, with an activation energy was 40.728 kJ/mol for amranthus leaves. The nutritional values like protein decreased from 10.32 to 10.07 %, fiber decreased from 20.73 to 19.05%, fat increased from 2.41 to 2.92%, the water absorption capacity increased from 9.29 to 9.82 g/ml while wettability decreased from 194.4 sec to 82.61 sec as the temperature of drying increases from 45°C to 65°C. Top Keywords Leafy vegetables, Dehydration, Activation energy, Nutritional value, Functional properties. Top |