Kinetics of moisture movement during air drying of sugar beet root

Abstract

Summary The effect of several variables on the drying rate of sugar beet root slices has been investigated. The standard solution of the nonstationary‐state diffusion equation was used to analyse the experimental results during the initial phase of the falling rate period of drying. It was found that Fick's law can be used to predict average drying time, internal moisture distributions and sample temperature during dehydration with reasonable accuracy, despite the complex nature of the mechanisms of moisture transport.