Drying of ground fish slices using superheated steam

Abstract

Superheated steam drying has gained more attention due to its absence of oxidative reactions and high drying rate. This research involved drying of ground fish slices using superheated steam. The influences of superheated steam temperature (120, 130 and 140 ?C) and thickness of ground fish slices (1.3 and 2.2 mm) on drying kinetics and quality attributes of dried fish slices were studied. Effective moisture diffusion coefficients (Deff) of the ground fish slices dried at different conditions were also investigated. From the experimental results, it was seen that an increase in drying temperature and a decrease in thickness of ground fish slices led to faster moisture reduction. In terms of qualities, it was found that the lightness value (L-value) decreased. However, the redness value (a-value), percentage of shrinkage, hardness and toughness values increased when the thickness of ground fish slices and superheated steam temperature increased. Moreover, it was also found that the Deff of the ground fish slices increased with the increase of superheated steam temperature and thickness of ground fish slice.