An experimental investigation on the drying of sliced food products in centrifugal fluidized bed

An experimental investigation on the fluidization and drying characteristics of sliced food.products in a centrifugal fluidized bed dryer was carried out. The rotating speed ranges from 300 rpm to 500 rpm. Sliced potato and radish were used as the testing materials. The results show that the sliced materials can be fluidized well in the centrifugal fluidized bed. The fluidized curve has a maximum value and the critical fluidized velocities vary with the type of the test material, its shape and dimension as well as operating parameters. The sliced food materials can be dried very well and fast in the centrifugal fluidized bed with a large productivity. The factors that influence the drying process were examined and discussed. The final shape and inner structure of the dried products were observed. The water recovery characteristics of the dried products were also investigated.