Performance evaluation of a double drum dryer for potato flake production Abstract Go to: Introduction Large amount of fresh

potatoes are cold stored for use in off-season. Cold-stored potatoes reportedly accumulate reducing sugars, which decline colour quality of processed products (Parkin and chwo!e"##$%. &rying of potato after har'esting is one of the ways to o'ercome the pro!lem of sugar accumulation. &rying of potato slurry produces potato flakes. Potato flake has wide applications in the making of fa!ricated potato chips, e(truded snacks, snack pellets and !attered !readed products. )t can !e easily reconstituted with cold or hot water and can !e used in e'ery household to prepare ready to cook soups, dals, curries, etc. *he product has 'ery good demand and wide application in restaurants, fast food chains, catering ser'ices and feeding programs. Potato powder is o!tained after grinding the potato flakes. Process of con'erting potato into flakes in'ol'es many stages. +t the final stage, potato slurry is dried on a drum dryer. *his type of dryer is suita!le for products, which are 'iscous in their natural state or after concentration such as mashed potatoes, precooked starchy !a!y foods, casein, milk, maltode(trins and fruit pulps (,alagas "#-.%. Potato slurry is spread on the surface of heated drum where steam condenses inside the drum. /eat is transferred through the metal of drum and moisture is remo'ed from the slurry adhering the drum. 0sing a scraper !lade dried material is scraped. + screw con'eyor is used to con'ey the scraped material. hort e(posure time of the slurry on drum surface reduces the risk of damage to product. +s !oiling type of drying takes place on the drum surface,

dried product !ecomes 'ery porous, easy to rehydrate and ready to use (1asseur et al. "##"2 1lachos and 3arapantsios 4$$$%. + dou!le drum dryer ha'ing 4$ kg5h water e'aporation capacity was de'eloped and potato slurry was used as the feed. &rum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of 4 drums were 'aried as independent parameters. 6easured responses were product moisture content, dry matter output rate and colour of dried product. *he aim of the present study was to determine the optimum operating conditions of the dryer for high production rate of light coloured potato flakes ha'ing ma(imum of -7 moisture content (d!%. Go to: Materials and methods &ou!le drum dryer de'eloped at P Ltd., ,arida!ad, comprised of 4 hollow drums so that steam could !e introduced into the drums (,ig. "%. *he drums were made of stainless steel (+) )8$9% ha'ing length :.$ mm, outer diameter 8.$ mm and thickness "$ mm. ;ffecti'e area of drum surface a'aila!le for drying was " m4. &rums were dri'en with a 'aria!le speed dri'e so that their speed of rotation could !e 'aried !etween . and 8$ rpm. + scraper !lade was fitted to the drum at an appropriate location such that the residence time of feed on drum surface could 'ary !etween ".88 and - s. + "$$ l5h capacity rotary type feed pump was used (,ig. "%. + 'aria!le speed dri'e could 'ary flow rate of the pump.

,ig. " &ifferent parts of dou!le drum dryer Potato slurry was prepared and used. )t was fed to the dryer and it dried as the drum rotated towards the

scraper !lade, which scraped out thin layer of dry material from the drum surface. +fter remo'al from the drum, a screw con'eyor could !reak the film into easy-to-handle particles. *he screw con'eyor had the diameter and pitch of "$$ mm. <3ufri chandramukhi= 'ariety potato was used for the preparation of slurry, !ecause of its higher flour reco'ery (#$."7 d!% as compared to other 'arieties a'aila!le in market (6arwaha and andhu 4$$"%. ,ifty kg of freshly har'ested potatoes were procured from market and washed with clean water to remo'e dirt and other undesira!le materials. ound and uniform si>ed potatoes of diameter :$?"$$ mm were sorted. 6echanically damaged, rotted and discoloured potatoes were remo'ed. orted potatoes were peeled manually using a potato peeler. &iscoloured potato with !lack spots and potatoes with insect in@uries were remo'ed. *he eyes and all !ruises were pitted out. Peeled potatoes were cut into 4$?8$ mm si>e and dipped in water containing potassium meta!isulphate (",$$$ ppm% for 4$ min. *he potatoes were softened !y !lanching them in .$ l of water at #$ AC for 8$ min. + mi(er operated !y a single-phase " hp motor was used to smash the !lanched potatoes and con'ert them into slurry. *he slurry was filled inside an -$ mesh si>e !ag and pressure was applied !y using a screw press. +s the filtered slurry coming out of the !ag was 'ery 'iscous, water was added in steps to reduce its 'iscosity. +n indication of total solu!le solid concentration of the slurry was o!tained !y measuring its refracti'e inde(. +t "$..A Bri( refracti'e inde(, total solid concentration of the slurry, as measured !y o'en drying method, was "47 (w!%. )n all the e(periments Bri( reading of slurry was fi(ed at "$..A !y adding required amount of water to the filtered potato slurry.

*he gap !etween the drums was fi(ed at $.. mm !y using a feeler gauge. &rums were rotated and steam was supplied to heat the drums. ,or some time in the !eginning water was used as the feed to sta!ili>e the operating conditions of dryer. +lthough water was found leaking through the gap of $.. mm, this was not so in the case of potato slurry. peed of the feed pump was increased so that the slurry could flow through the no>>les (,ig. "% and get collected at the nip of the 4 drums. Liquid le'el at the nip could !e ad@usted !y controlling the speed of the feed pump. *he liquid pool started to !oil. +fter 4?8 min the dry product was scraped out and collected in trays for a!out " min. Changing the drum speed and the liquid le'el in the pool were carried out at a!out 9?. min inter'al. &ry samples were cooled to room temperature (4.?8$ AC%, sealed inside fle(i!le pouches and taken for moisture and colour measurements. &ried product was ground and colour readings were taken !y using a 3onica 6inolta CC-9$$ (Dapan% colorimeter. ince light colour potato flakes are preferred, only L 'alue of the colour was used in the analysis. 6oisture content (7 w!% of the ground potato flakes was determined !y using himad>u (6odel 6EC"4$/, Dapan% moisture meter. &rum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of the 4 drums were 'aried as independent parameters. 6easured responses were product moisture content, dry matter output rate and the colour of dried product. ;(periments were carried with 8 independent 'aria!les, 'i>., drum speed (X"%, steam pressure (X4% and liquid le'el at the nip of the two drums (X8%. ;ffect of feed concentration on production of pregelatini>ed starch in a dou!le drum dryer was studied !y 3alogianni et al. (4$$4%. *his 'aria!le was not considered. Cotata!le central composite design (CCC&%

with 8 'aria!les at . le'els for each of the 'aria!les was adopted (&as 4$$.%. &ata on moisture content (w!% of the product, amount of product scraped out !y the knife in " min and L 'alue of product colour were o!tained. ,rom the 'alues of wet !asis moisture content W and product output rate m (g5min%, dry !asis moisture content, MC,(kg water5kg dry solid% and dry matter output rate OC (kg dry solid5h% were calculated !y using ;qs. ("% and (4%, respecti'ely.

*a!le " Coded and actual independent 'aria!les

'alues

of

"

4 En the !asis of information a'aila!le through pu!lished literature and the personal e(perience of the authors, ma(imum Xmax and minimum Xmin 'alues for X1, X2 and X3 were fi(ed. *hese 'alues areX1max F 8$ rpm, X1min F . rpm, X2max F : kg5cm4 gauge, X2min F 4 kg5cm4 gauge, X3max F "$ cm and X3min F . cm. *wenty e(periments were carried out following the CCC& (&as 4$$.%. *his type of e(perimental design requires that the e(periments !e carried out at . le'els for each of the 'aria!les. Ghen the Xmax andXmin 'alues are coded with H".I-4 and J".I-4, respecti'ely, the . 'alues of independent 'aria!les in their coded form should !e H".I-4, H", $, J", J".I-4. Ceal 'alues of 8 independent 'aria!les at . le'els and their corresponding coded 'alues are gi'en in *a!le ". Column "?9 of *a!le 4 shows the e(perimental design.

*a!le 4 ;(perimental 'alues of moisture content, dry solid output rate and colour of potato flakes ;(perimental 'alues of MC (kg water5kg dry solid% and dry matter output rate OR (kg dry solid5h% andL 'alue of colour were fitted to second order regression equation in terms of real X and coded x 'alues of independent 'aria!les. Coefficients of X and x, X4 and x4, X"X4 and x"x4, X the 4X8 and x4x8 K X4X8 andx4x8 of regression equations were found out using &esign e(pert software (1ersion :.".", tatease )nc., 6inneapolis, 0 +%. Celati'e de'iation percentage Rd !etween the e(perimental Ya and predicted Yp 'alues of dependent 'aria!les (which are MC, OC and L%, as o!tained from the &esign e(pert software, was calculated from the following equation.

8 where, n is the num!er of e(periments carried out. Go to: Results and discussion ;ffect of drum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el !etween

the drums on the dry !asis moisture content, dry solids output rate and L 'alue of colour of potato flakes are shown in *a!le 4. )t may !e o!ser'ed from the *a!le that moisture content (7 d!% 'aried !etween ".4 and 99.47, dry solids output rate !etween ".8 and 4.# kg dry solids5h and L 'alue of colour !etween 8$.# and II.9. Effect of process variables on product moisture content ,ollowing regression equations !etween the moisture content MC (7 d!% of potato flakes and the independent 'aria!les were o!tained !y using the &esign e(pert software. 9 . where, x1, x2 and x3 are the dimensionless coded 'alues of drum speed X1 (rpm%, steam pressure X2(kg5cm4 gauge% and liquid le'el at the nip of the two drums X3 (cm% respecti'ely. 1alues of x and X are related !y the following equations, which are applica!le to all the regression equations that are presented later. I : # "$ "" ;quations (I% to (""% ha'e !een de'eloped !y using the following data X1max F 8$, X1min F ., X2max F :, X2 min F 4, X3max F "$, X3min F ., such that the ma(imum and minimum 'alues

of the coded 'aria!le x lie !etween H" and J" respecti'ely (&as 4$$.%. Predicted 'alues of MC, as o!tained !y ;qs. (9% or (.% when compared with the e(perimental 'alues gi'en in *a!le 4, relati'e de'iation percentage Rd (;q. 8% of "-.. is o!tained. ,ollowing o!ser'ations can !e made from ;q. (9% and the analysis of 'ariance, as o!tained from the &esign e(pert software. Coefficient of x2 is negati'e, !ut that of x1 and x3 are positi'e2 therefore increase in steam pressure will reduce the moisture content MC whereas, increase in drum speed and liquid le'el at the nip of the drums will increase the moisture content. +!o'e findings, as o!tained from mathematical analysis, are due to the following phenomena that takes place on drum dryer. /igher steam pressure increases drum surface temperature, increases moisture remo'al rate from feed and there!y reduces the product moisture content. /igher drum speed reduces residence time of feed on drum surface and there!y increases the product moisture content. /igher liquid le'el at the nip of the two drums creates higher pressure for the liquid entrainment on the drum surface. *his produces greater flow of feed to drum surface, resulting higher moisture content in the dried product. ,rom the e(periments carried out on single and dou!le drum dryers, similar o!ser'ations were made !y &aud and +rmstrong ("#-:%, ,rit>e ("#:8%, Cosenthal and gar!ieri ("##4%, *rystram ("#--%, 1asseur et al. ("##"%, *rystram and 1asseur ("##4%, and 1allous et al. (4$$4%. Coefficient of x2 is highest i.e. #.4 and this is followed !y the coefficient 9.4# of x1 and the coefficient $.8. of x3. *herefore, the effect of steam pressure on product moisture content is highest2 this is followed !y

drum speed and liquid le'el at the nip of 4 drums. ,rom the analysis of 'ariance it was found that the effect of drum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of 4 drums on product moisture content were highly significant (p L $.$"%. )n ;q. (9%, x1, x2, x1x2 and x22 are significant (p M $.$.% model terms. ,or these terms computed 'alues of p are $.$$4:, $.$$$", $.$8:I and $.$$$I respecti'ely. *hus the +NE1+ re'eals that drum speed and steam pressure are the ma@or parameters responsi!le for moisture content of potato flakes. 0sing ;q. (.%, a surface plot was made (,ig. 4% to show the 'ariation of product moisture content MC at different 'alues of drum speed X" and steam pressure X4 at a constant 'alue of depth X8 (since this 'aria!le has the least effect on MC% of liquid at the nip of two drums. )n ,ig. 4 the 'alue of X8 was kept at the mid 'alue (:.. cm% of the ma(imum ("$ cm% and minimum (. cm% 'alues of X8. ,ig. 4 shows that the effect of X4 on MC is more non-linear than the effect of X" on MC. *his can also !e 'erified from ;q. (9% where, we find the coefficient of x44 (.."-% is higher than the coefficient of x"4 ($.8I%.

,ig. 4 ;ffect of drum speed and steam pressure on product moisture content at :.. cm depth of liquid at the nip of 4 drums Effect of process variables on dry product output rate ,ollowing regression equations could !e de'eloped !etween dry matter output rate OR (kg dry solids5h% of potato flakes and the independent 'aria!les. "4

"8 where, x1, x2 and x3 are the dimensionless coded 'alues of drum speed X1(rpm%, steam pressure X2(kg5cm4 gauge% and liquid le'el at the nip of two drums X3 (cm%, respecti'ely. 1alues of x and X are related !y the ;qs. (I%?(""%. Predicted 'alues of OR, as o!tained from ;qs. ("4% or ("8%, when compared with the e(perimental 'alues gi'en in *a!le 4, the computed 'alue of relati'e de'iation percentage Rd (;q. 8% was "8.-. ,ollowing o!ser'ations could !e made from ;q. ("4% and the analysis of 'ariance, as o!tained from the &esign e(pert software. Coefficient of x2 is negati'e !ut that of x1 and x3 are positi'e2 therefore increase in steam pressure will reduce the dry solids output rate whereas, increase in drum speed and liquid le'el at the nip of the drums will increase this rate. ,ollowing physical phenomena that take place on drum dryer ha'e lead to the a!o'e-mentioned o!ser'ations. )ncreased steam pressure increases product temperature at the nip of the two drums. /igher temperature reduces feed 'iscosity, reduces the entrainment flow of liquid on drum surface and there!y reduces dry solid output rate. /igher drum speed and higher depth of liquid at the nip of the drums create greater entrainment flow of feed liquid to drum surface and, this results in increasing the dry solid output rate. *his type of effect of independent 'aria!les on dry soild output rate is found matching with pre'ious studies carried out !y Cosenthal and gar!ieri ("##4% and 1allous et al. (4$$4% on drying of fresh sweet corn and pregelatini>ed starch respecti'ely using dou!le drum dryer.

Coefficient of x1 is highest ($.8.% and this is followed !y the coefficient ($."4% of x2 and $.$9# ofx3. *herefore, effect of drum speed on dry solids output rate is highest2 this is followed !y the effect of steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of two drums. ,rom the +NE1+ it was found that the effect of drum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of the drums on dry matter output rate of product were highly significant (p L $.$"%. )n ;q. ("4%, x1, x2, x12and x22 are the significant model terms. ,or these terms the p 'alues are $.$$$", $.$$99, $.$4-8 and $.$"8., respecti'ely. *hus, the +NE1+ re'eals that drum speed and steam pressure are the ma@or parameters responsi!le for dry matter output rate of potato flakes. 0sing ;q. ("8%, a surface plot (,ig. 8% was made. *he figure shows the 'ariation of dry solids output rateOC at different drum speed X" and steam pressure X4 at a constant 'alue of depth X8 (since the effect ofX8 on OC is the lowest% of liquid at the nip of two drums. )n ,ig. 8 the 'alue of X8 was kept at mid 'alue (:.. cm% of the ma(imum ("$ cm% and minimum (. cm% 'alues of X8.

Effect of process variables on colour of potato flakes ,ollowing regression equations !etween the L 'alue for colour of potato flakes and the independent 'aria!les were o!tained !y using the &esign e(pert software. "9 ". where, x1, x2 and x3 are the dimensionless coded 'alues of drum speed X1 (rpm%, steam pressure X2(kg5cm4 gauge% and liquid le'el at the nip of the two drums X3 (cm% respecti'ely. *he predicted 'alues of L !y ;qs. ("9% or (".% when compared with the e(perimental 'alues gi'en in *a!le 4, relati'e de'iation percentage Rd (;q. 8% of 8.. is o!tained. ,ollowing o!ser'ations can !e made from ;q. ("9% and the analysis of 'ariance, as o!tained from the &esign e(pert software. Coefficient of x2 and x3 are negati'e !ut that of x1 is positi'e. *herefore, higher steam pressure, higher depth of liquid at the nip of 4 drums and lower drum speed will reduce the L 'alue of product. Colour change during drying is the result of comple( reactions taking place !etween food components. )n general, increased temperature and residence time increases the colour and reduces L 'alue. *he effect of increased steam pressure increases the drum surface temperature and this reduces the L 'alue. )ncreased depth of liquid at the nip of 4 drums and the reduced drum speed increase the residence time of liquid at the nip of the drums and on drum surface2 resulting lowering of L 'alue. Coefficient of x2 is highest ("".4% and this is followed !y coefficients ".: of x1 and $."4 of x3. *herefore effect of steam pressure on L 'alue of colour of product is highest which is followed !y the effect of drum speed and liquid le'el at the nip of the

,ig. 8 ;ffect of drum speed and steam pressure on dry solid output rate at :.. cm depth of liquid at the nip of 4 drums )t can !e seen from ,ig 8 that steam pressure is ha'ing negati'e slope while drum speed is ha'ing positi'e slope. +lso, the effect of steam pressure X4 and drum speed X" on dry product output rate is non-linear. *he degree of the two non-linearity is close to each other2 as we find from ;q. ("4%, coefficients of x44 is $.$#., and the coefficient of ("4 is $.$-".

drums on L 'alue of colour of product. ,rom the +NE1+ it was found that the effect of drum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of the drums on L 'alue for colour of product were highly significant (p L $.$"%. )n this case x2 and x12 are significant (p L $.$.% model terms. ,or these terms the p 'alue were $.$$$" and $.$$9", respecti'ely. *hus, the +NE1+ re'eals that steam pressure and drum speed are the ma@or parameters responsi!le for colour of potato flakes. 0sing ;q. (".%, a surface plot (,ig. 9% was made to show the 'ariation of L 'alue at different drum speed X" and steam pressure X4 at a constant 'alue of depth X8 of liquid at the nip of two drums. )n ,ig. 9the 'alue of X8 was kept at mid 'alue (:.. cm% of the ma(imum ("$ cm% and minimum (. cm% 'alues of X8. ,ig. 9 shows that the effect of X" on L 'alue is more non-linear than the effect of X4. *his can also !e 'erified from ;q. ("9% where we find the coefficient of x"4 (4.#9% is higher than the coefficient of (44 ($.$"9%.

,ig. 9 ;ffect of drum speed and steam pressure on L 'alue for colour of product at :.. cm depth of liquid at the nip of 4 drums Optimization of process variables Eptimi>ation of process conditions for drum drying of potato flakes was done !y using the &esign ;(pert software. ,ranke et al. (4$$-% ha'e shown that potato flakes should ha'e a ma(imum of -7 (d!% moisture content for high storage sta!ility. +ccordingly, one of the o!@ecti'e functions for optimi>ation was that the 'alue of MC should !e lower than - kg water5kg dry solid. ,rom economic point of 'iew the dryer

should ha'e high dry solid output rate OC. *he dried potato flakes should !e of light colour, therefore the 'alue of L should !e high. 0nder these criteria, optimum operating conditions of the drum dryer for production of potato flakes, as found out from the &esign e(pert software, were drum speed: "#.I rpm, steam pressure: 9.8 kg5cm4 gauge (steam temperature of "9. AC% and liquid le'el at the drum nip of two drums I.8 cm. *he responses predicted !y design e(pert for these com!inations independent parameters are final moisture content of product: -7 (d!% output rate of potato flakes: 4.98 kg dry solids5h and L 'alue of colour: .8. Go to: Conclusion &rum drying is used for products, which are not so heat sensiti'e. *he present paper descri!es the optimi>ation of twin-drum drying parameters for production of potato flakes. )n'estigations were carried out to find out optimum 'alues of drum speed, steam pressure and liquid le'el at the nip of two drums, such that the dried product would !e light colored flakes ha'ing safe moisture content and high dry solid output rate. ;mpirical models de'eloped would !e a!le to predict the 'alues of responses at different 'alues of the independent parameters. Go to: References &as /. ;mpirical model de'elopment. ,ood Processing Eperations +nalysis. New &elhi: +sian Books P't Ltd2 4$$.. &aud GCBG, +rmstrong G&. Pilot plant study of the drum dryer. )n: 6u@umdar + , editor.&rying *echnology =-:. New Oork: /emisphere2 "#-:. pp. "$"?"$-. ,alagas . &rying agricultural products (in Greek% +thens: ;L3;P+2 "#-.. pp. -$?-8. ,ranke 3, tri@owski 0, Ceimerdes ;/. 3inetics of acrylamide formation in potato powder. D ,ood

;ng. 4$$-2#$:"8.?"9$. doi: "$."$"I5@.@foodeng.4$$-.$I.$".. PCro ss CefQ ,rit>e /. &ry gelatini>ed produced on different types of drum dryers. )ndustrial ;ngineering Chemistry. Process &es &e'. "#:82"4:"94?"9-. doi: "$."$4"5i4I$$9Ia$$9. PCross CefQ 3alogianni ;P, Rynogalos 1+, 3arapantsios *&, 3ostoglou 6. ;ffect of feed concentration on the production of pregelatini>ed starch in a dou!le drum dryer. Le!ensm Giss *echnol.4$$428.::$8?:"9. doi: "$."$$I5fstl.4$$4.$#4.. PCross CefQ 6arwaha C , andhu 3. Preparation of potato flour and its quality characteristics. )ndian ,ood Packer. 4$$"2..(9%:9#?.9. Parkin 3L, chwo!e 6+. ;ffect of low temperature and modified atmosphere on sugar accumulation and chip colour in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum% D ,ood ci. "##$2..:"8? "9. Cosenthal +, gar!ieri 1C. Nutritional e'aluation of a fresh sweet corn drum drying process. )n: 6u@umdar + , editor. &rying =#4. +msterdam: ;lse'ier +ppl. ci Pu!l2 "##4. pp. "9"#?"94..

*rystram G. Contri!ution S l=automatisation d=un procTdT industrial de sTchage sur cylindre. )n: Cenard 6, Bim!enet DD, editors. +utomatic control and optimisation of food processes. London: ;lse'ier +ppl. ci2 "#--. pp. 4I.?4-8. *rystram G, 1asseur D. *he modeling and simulation of a drum dryer. )nt Chem ;ng."##4284:I-#?:$.. 1allous N+, Ga'rielidou 6+, 3arapantsios *&, 3ostoglou 6. Performance of a dou!le drum dryer for producing pregelatini>ed mai>e starches. D ,ood ;ng. 4$$42.":":"? "-8. doi: "$."$"I5 $4I$-::9($"%$$$9"-8. PCross CefQ 1asseur D, +!chir ,, *rystram G. 6odelling of drum drying. )n: 6u@umdar + , ,ilko'a ), editors. &rying =#". +msterdam: ;lse'ier +ppl. ci Pu!l2 "##". pp. "4"?"4#. 1lachos N+, 3arapantsios *&. Gater content measurement of thin sheet starch products using a conductance technique. D ,ood ;ng. 4$$$29I:#"? #-. doi: "$."$"I5 $4I$-::9($$%$$$:8-R.PCross CefQ