DRYING BEHAVIOR OF CULTURED MUSHROOMS

In this study, the drying behavior of cultured mushrooms with an initial moisture content of 93% (drying basis [d.b.]) was investigated experimentally for different slice thicknesses and drying air temperatures, and the suitability of various drying models in defining the drying behavior of mushrooms was determined by statistical analysis. Drying operation was carried out at temperatures of 40, 45, 50 and 60C and at a fixed air velocity of 2 m/s. The slice thicknesses of mushrooms were taken as 2, 4 and 6 mm. The experimental results show that the drying temperature has a significant effect on the moisture removal from mushrooms. However, it is also observed that increasing the temperature above a certain value for large values of slice thickness does not have a considerable effect on the drying rate. It may also be concluded from the experimental results that the increase in the slice thickness slows down the drying rate significantly. Furthermore, the results of statistical analysis show that the most suitable model in defining the drying behavior of mushrooms is the diffusion approach model.