Influences of drying medium and temperature on drying kinetics and quality attributes of durian chip

This research aimed at proposing and testing alternative methods for producing low-fat durian chips via hot air drying (HA) and superheated steam drying (SHS). The experimental investigations were conducted at drying temperatures of 130-150 degrees C and a drying medium velocity of 2.0 m/s to examine the drying kinetics, quality attributes, and microstructure of dried durian underwent different drying techniques and conditions. Although superheated steam drying required longer time to achieve the same final moisture content than hot air drying, color and rehydration potential of the dried products obtained were superior than those obtained by hot air drying. The microstructure of the products dried by different methods was also significantly different. Nevertheless, the differences between textural properties of the samples dried by the two drying media were insignificant (p > 0.05). (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.