首页|Energy consumption and product quality of off-ground harvested almonds under hot air column drying
Energy consumption and product quality of off-ground harvested almonds under hot air column drying
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NSTL
Elsevier
This study was conducted to develop an efficient drying method for off-ground harvested almonds. The whole almonds of three varieties (Nonpareil, Monterey and Fritz) were dried in a column dryer at different temperatures (45, 50, 55 and 60 degrees C) and air velocities (1.0 and 2.0 m/s). The drying time ranged from 2.5 to 6 h. No cavity, no color change, no significant concealed damage and no deterioration of oil quality were observed under the tested conditions (p < 0.05). Page model was used to standardize the initial and final moistures of almonds for energy consumption calculation. The specific energy consumption of the drying process ranged from 7.01 to 19.05 MJ/kg under the tested conditions. The energies consumed for drying different almond components were calculated based on the moisture removal from each components during the drying of the mixture of in-hull almonds, in-shell almonds, kernels and loose hulls, which showed more than 60% of energy was consumed for drying the hulls, and only 20% was used for kernel drying. Therefore, freshly harvested almonds should be sorted based on their moisture levels and dried separately. The findings from this study provide an important guidance for drying off-ground harvested almonds with improved efficiency and ensured product quality.
AlmondsOff-ground harvestHot air dryingEnergy analysisQuality assessment
NSTL
Elsevier
