Modeling drying kinetics of tomato slices under convective hot-air using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) models: Modeling drying kinetics of tomato slices

This study aimed to model the drying kinetics (Drying Time (DT), effective moisture diffusivity (Deff), and Specific Energy Consumption (SEC)) of tomato slices dried with a convective hot-air dryer using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The tomatoes were pretreated with Water Blanching (WBP), Ascorbic Acid (AAP) and Sodium Metabisulphite (SBP); sliced into 4, 6 and 8 mm thickness and dried at 40, 50 and 60oC air temperatures. The experimental drying data were fitted to ANN and ANFIS models, while the best topology was obtained. The model's predictive performance was determined using the coefficient of determination (R2), Means Squared Error (MSE), Root Means Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) between predicted and experimental results. The DT ranged between 11.5 and 22.5 h, Deff (0.98 x 10-10 to 6.36 x 10-10 m2/s) and SEC (0.6247 to 1.9514 kWh/kg). Higher R2 (0.9056–0.9834) with lower MSE (0.0014–2.2044), RMSE (0.00035 – 1.49 x 10-13) and MAE (0.00026 – 1.08 x 10-13) for ANFIS compared to ANN showed that ANFIS methodology could precisely predict experimental data. This study found that ANFIS is highly accurate in predicting the drying kinetic, thereby demonstrating its ability in finding a meaningful relationship between drying kinetic and drying conditions. Therefore, the model developed in this study can be a valuable tool in accurately predicting drying kinetic in dried tomatoes

Effect of hybrid solar drying method on the Functional and sensory properties of tomato

A hybrid solar dryer, direct solar energy dryer and open sun drying under the climatic conditions of Yola, Nigeria was used to dry tomato slices. The effect of these drying methods on the functional and sensory quality of the dried tomatoes was examined. The functional properties of the dried tomatoes slices were significantly different (p<0.05). In open sun dried tomatoes, the bulk density ranged from 0.56 – 0.62 g/ml, water absorption index (WAI) 436.33 – 475.67 gH2O/sample, water solubility index (WSI) 6.00 – 14.00, specific volume 1.61 – 1.78 ml/g and wettability 10.33 – 13.33 s for 4 – 8 mm thick tomato samples. For solar dried tomatoes, the bulk density ranged from 0.52 – 0.57 g/ml, the WAI ranged from 412.00 – 454.00 gH2O/sample, the water solubility index (WSI) range was 12.33 – 16.67, specific volume range was 1.73 – 1.90 ml/g and wettability ranged from 5.85 – 10.63 s for 4 – 8 mm thick tomato samples. For the hybrid dried tomatoes, the bulk density ranged from 0.50 – 0.54 g/ml, the WAI values ranged from 386.00 – 436.00 gH2O/sample, the WSI 14.67 – 18.00, specific volume range was 1.84 – 1.99 ml/g and wettability 5.80 – 8.44 s for 4 – 8 mm thick tomato sample. The organoleptic properties showed that the tomatoes dried by hybrid drying method was superior in terms of acceptability test than those dried using direct solar energy and a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel tomato products. Conclusively, good quality shelf stable dried tomato slices could be produced using hybrid drying method

Development and Quality Assessment of Biscuits Made from Mixture of Wheat, Soybean, and Sorghum Flour

In most developing nations, there has been an increase in the consumption of wheat-based products, particularly biscuits, due to recent lifestyle changes and rapid urbanization. Due to this, there has been a sudden rise in research into creating flour from locally grown cereals or legumes to satisfy consumer demand. As a result, the potential for making biscuits with sorghum-soy composite flour was investigated. The flour blends and the corresponding biscuit products’ functional and physicochemical characteristics were established. The samples of biscuits’ organoleptic characteristics were also identified. The functional properties of the composite flours decreased while their proximate composition increased, according to the results. As the amount of sorghum-soy flour inclusions increased, the physical characteristics of the biscuit samples decreased. The moisture contents, protein contents, crude fats, ash, crude fibers, and carbohydrates were all within the ranges of 3.11 to 3.80%, 14.80 to 17.66%, 5.07 to 5.51%, 3.65 to 4.94%, 2.66 to 3.64%, and 66.11 to 70.71%, respectively. The sorghum-soy biscuits fared well compared to the wheat-based biscuits and were deemed acceptable. As a result, eating these biscuits will increase people’s nutrient intake, particularly that of children, as well as the utilization of sorghum and soybean in tropical nations

Physico-chemical and Sensory Properties of Cookies Produced by Partial Substitution of Margarine with Avocado Pear (Persia americana)

The partial substitution of margarine with mature avocado pear pulp in the production of cookies was investigated. Five cookie samples were produced with avocado pear pulp and margarine blends in the ratios 80:20%, 70:30%, 60:40%, 50:50%, and 100% margarine serve as the control, labeled as B, C, D and E and A, respectively while the other ingredients used remain constant. The physico-chemical (proximate compositions, free fatty acids (FFA), iodine value, and peroxide value) and sensory qualities of the cookies were evaluated using standard methods. The results show ranged in moisture (11.13 to 14.60%), crude protein (6.93 to 7.83%), crude fat (16.00 to 18.03%), ash (1.40 to 2.09%), crude fiber (0.29 to 0.62%), carbohydrate (59.70 to 62.79%), FFA (0.35 to 1.01 mg KOH/g), iodine value (75.63 to 81.17 g I2/100 g) and peroxide value (2.96 to 5.27 meq/kg). The partial substitution of margarine with avocado pear pulp produced nutritious cookies with desirable organoleptic qualities. Also, the results demonstrated that cookies had acceptability up to a 30% level of substitution with avocado pear pulp. The findings indicated the feasibility of avocado pear pulp in fat-reduced cookies preparation, this will reduce the pressure in using only margarine in cookies making and diversify the use of avocado pear

Evaluation of rice milling quality and energy requirement via a developed vibratory rice grader

In the modern way of processing rice, rice is usually parboiled before milling operation and grading is one of the milling operations required to classify rice into different grades of importance viz. the head and broken rice.  In this study, a vibratory rice grader was developed. The effect of processing conditions on the milling quality (milling recovery, head milled rice and broken rice), grading time, energy requirement and energy intensity were evaluated. The soaking time (4 – 6 h), steaming time (30 – 40 mins) and rice variety (FARO 15, FARO 60 and FARO 62) were interacted using Taguchi experimental design (L933). Standard equations were used to evaluate the effect of processing conditions on the milling quality, energy requirement and energy intensity of the rice grader. Milling recovery ranged from 53% to 70%, head milled rice (41% - 67%), broken milled rice (3% - 12%), grading time (4.4 – 5.8 mins), energy requirement (2.632 MJ to 2.649 MJ) and energy intensity (1.20 – 1.58 MJ/kg). An increase in soaking time and steaming time increased the grading time, milling recovery, head milled rice, energy requirement and energy intensity but reduced the broken milled rice.  The estimated cost of the developed vibratory rice grader was $152. This study provides valuable information on a simple way of designing and developing a rice grader that could be adopted for grading rice into whole rice or head rice and broken rice