Determination of drying characteristics of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) using a solar tunnel dryer.

摘要

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), is highly perishable and one of the most important leafy vegetables widely used for culinary purpose. Its preservation can prevent huge wastage and make it available in the lean season. Drying increases the shelf life of product. Drying of spinach is carried out in a small scale solar tunnel dryer to analyze the performance of the dryer and to study its drying characteristics. The spinach was dried from initial moisture content 88.21-94.04% (wb) to final moisture content 3.50-5.13% (wb). Total drying time was in range of 6.3 to 10.0 h. The drying time considerably reduced as compared to open sun drying of spinach as sun drying took 15 h for drying. The dehydration ratio of the spinach varied from 9.949 to 0.842.