Drying Kinetics of Ginger

The drying kinetics of ginger (Zingiber officiate Roscoe) slices of thickness 2.5 mm and diameter of 25 mm was studied at 40, 45, 50 and 55oC and air flow of 1m/s. Results show that drying proceeded faster at higher than at lower temperatures. Drying took place only in the falling rate period mainly by diffusion. The activation energy of drying based on Arhenius relationship between temperatures and apparent diffusivity was found to be 27.847KJ/mol and the regression coefficient (R2) was 0.937. KEY WORDS: Ginger, Drying, and moisture Diffusivity. Nigerian Food Journal Vol.22 2004: 105-11