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Journal of Applied Sciences

Year: 2007 | Volume: 7 | Issue: 11 | Page No.: 1490-1496
Research Article

Solar Drying of Red Peppers: Effects of Air Velocity and Product Size

A. Bulent Koc
Department of Agricultural Machinery, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey
Murat Toy
Department of Agricultural Machinery, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey
Ibrahim Hayoglu
Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey
Hasan Vardin
Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey
The purpose of present study was to determine the effects of drying air velocity and pepper size on drying time, the dried product’s ascorbic acid level (Vitamin C) and color using response surface methodology. A solar dryer consisting of a solar collector and a drying chamber was used to conduct the experiments between September 4 and October 10, 2003 in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The overall drying conditions providing the minimum drying time, maximum ascorbic acid level and highest extractable product color were determined to be 1.3 m sec-1 and 6 slices per pepper.
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