Mathematical modelling of thin-layer drying of two pretreated potato cultivars ('Provento' and 'Granola')

A study was conducted to investigate the drying characteristics of two potato cultivars ( Solanum tuberosum L. 'Provento' and 'Granola') using a lab-scale convective dryer. Before the drying process, the potato cultivars underwent four different pretreatment methods and were ground to produce pretreated potato pastes. The drying experiments were performed at a temperature of 60°C with an air velocity of 0.2 m/s. During the drying process, the moisture content ratio of the pretreated potato pastes decreased continuously and exponentially over time. Notably, the entire drying process occurred during the falling rate period. The study found that the pretreatment methods significantly influenced the drying process, with blanching identified as the most effective method. The experimental drying data were fitted to six thin-layer models from the literature. The results showed that the models proposed by Midilli et al. and Alonso et al. provided the best fit for the experimental drying data compared to the other models assessed. In addition, the effective moisture diffusivity values ranged from 1.4329 × 10 ^⁻ ⁹ to 3.3977 × 10 ^⁻ ⁹ m²/s, and these values were influenced by the specific pretreatment methods employed.