DRYING OF PULPS OF TROPICAL FRUITS IN SPOUTED BED: EFFECT OF COMPOSITION ON DRYER PERFORMANCE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies on drying of pulps of several tropical fruits in spouted beds had shown advantages in relation to the quality of the products. However, most of the processed pulps presented serious problems of accumulation in the bed and consequently, instability of the spouted bed dynamic. The objective of this work is to analyze the influence of the chemical composition on the spouted bed performance in drying pulps of tropical fruits. Mango pulp “in natura” was used as a standard pulp. Modified pulps were obtained increasing the concentrations of reducer sugars, lipids, fibers, starch and pectin. The effect of these compositions on the fluid-dynamic and efficiency of the powder production was investigated using a factorial design. The operational conditions were maintained fixed in all experiments. The efficiency of powder production, the stable spout pressure drop and the minimum spouting flow rate were the responses analyzed. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the concentration of fibers is not a significant variable for the process. The concentrations of reducer sugars and starch showed significant influence on the fluid dynamic and these concentrations together with the lipids and pectin concentrations showed significant influences on the efficiency of powder production.