Drying of mango by intermittent and continuous infrared drying method

This study examined the infrared drying process of mango slices at three power levels (300, 400, and 500 W) and three distinct intermittency ratios (PR=1, PR=1.5, and PR=2). The influence of these drying parameters on drying time, shrinkage, color stability, energy efficiency, rehydration capacity, and surface temperature was systematically assessed. Additionally, ten widely recognized mathematical thin-layer drying models were applied to the experimental data obtained under these conditions. The findings demonstrated that increasing infrared power while decreasing the intermittency ratio resulted in reduced drying times. Among the assessed models, the Midilli et al. model exhibited the highest accuracy in describing the infrared drying behavior of mango slices across different power levels and intermittency ratios. Furthermore, higher infrared power led to a decrease in L* values, indicating a darkening effect on the dried samples. Variations in infrared power did not significantly influence the shrinkage values of products dried at the same intermittency ratio (p>0.5). The surface temperature of mango products increased with decreasing the intermittency ratio and increasing the infrared power. Increasing the infrared power in PR=1 applications reduced energy consumption.