A comprehensive investigation on industrial radio frequency (RF) drying: Modeling and optimization strategies for carrot slice processing

Abstract

Radiofrequency (RF) drying is a revolutionary technique gaining prominence in the food industry. The present study delves into the drying of carrot slices within industrial settings, employing cutting-edge RF technology. The entire drying operation was optimized using response surface methodology, and the effect of process parameters on the physico-chemical properties of carrot slices was noted. Optimized process parameters were found to be at the initial moisture content of 89.86% with an electrode distance of 210 mm and a thickness of carrot slice at 4.75 mm. Page model was found to be most suitable as it explains most of the variations in the moisture ratio. High moisture diffusivity was noted for RF-treated samples which indicates faster drying rates. This project on optimizing and modeling carrot slice drying in industrial RF systems holds immense industrial relevance, promising increased efficiency, improved product quality, and sustainable practices in vegetable processing.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Carrot slices
• Radio-Frequency Drying
• Industrial process optimization
• Physicochemical analysis
• Fick’s law

Author contributions

Aarthy Viswanath: Search and Research of Literature, Development of setup, conducting experimentation, Collection of Data. Piyush Sharma: Conception and ideation, Manuscript writing - original draft. T. Pandiarajan: Conception and ideation, Supervision, Manuscript review and editing. Arun Prasath Venugopal: Conception and ideation, Manuscript review and editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful to the Tamil Nadu agricultural university and Lakshmi card clothing manufacturing company Pvt Ltd, India for their financial support.