Abstract
This study investigates the oven drying kinetics of banana (Musa spp., AAA group, cv. ‘Mabonde’) at temperature levels 40 – 60oC. Six mathematical drying models; Wang and Singh, Verma, Two-term, Page, Logarithmic and Two-term
exponential were fitted to experimental drying data obtained from the study. The consistency of the models was determined using statistical parameters such as coefficient of determination, Mean Bias Error, Root Mean Square Error, and chi square. Moisture migration from the banana slices was described using the Fick’s diffusion model and the effective diffusivity (ED) was calculated. The result indicated that drying took place mainly in the falling rate period with higher and shorter drying times achieved at a lower and higher oven temperature, respectively. The ED increased with increasing oven temperatures with values in the range of 1.99 x 10-11, 2.45 x 10-11 and 3.85 x 10-11 m2/s at 40, 50, and 60oC respectively. The Wang and Singh gave the best results for the description of thin layer drying of Mabonde banana variety (MBV). The microstructure of dried banana was characterized by small or large pores and surface cracks depending on the drying temperature.
