A Study on the Changes of Shape and Size Related Attributes of Kharak Thin Slices in a Hybrid Electrohydrodynamic-Convective Hot Air Dryer Equipped With Image Processing System

Imani, Aydin; Keramat-Jahromi, Mahdi

doi:10.22034/jrmam.2023.14176.641

A Study on the Changes of Shape and Size Related Attributes of Kharak Thin Slices in a Hybrid Electrohydrodynamic-Convective Hot Air Dryer Equipped With Image Processing System

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

aydin Imani ¹

Mahdi Keramat-Jahromi ²

¹ Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Urmia,

² Mechanical Engineering of Biosystem Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Shiraz

10.22034/jrmam.2023.14176.641

Abstract

Drying dates in the khark stage is a common operation in date-growing areas of the country, such as Jahrom, where the product has completely different quality conditions in terms of texture, color, smell and taste compared to dates. The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) method is a non-thermal drying method at ambient temperature and pressure that can preserves the quality of the dried food product. In this study, a hybrid electrohydrodynamic-convection hot air dryer equipped with an image processing system was used to investigate the changes of size and shape related attributes of thin slices of kharak during the drying process. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of change in the characteristics related to shape and size including surface area, perimeter, diameter, elongation, and roundness of samples during the drying process by electrohydrodynamic method (EHD in 25 and 35 °C), hot air method (HA at 60 °C), and the hybrid drying method (EHD-HA at 60 °C). The effect of air speed and temperature on the shape and size related attributes was investigated using variance analysis. The results showed that the amount of changes in characteristics related to the shape and size of the product was the highest in the hot air method and less in the EHD method at a temperature of 25° C than the other methods. According to the obtained results, the final product of the EHD method had a higher quality compared to the other methods.

Keywords

Kharak

Machine vision

Drying

Electrohydrodynamic

Hot air

Subjects