DETERMINATION OF THE DRYING PARAMETERS IN THIN LAYER OF SWEET CORN (Zea mays L.) SEEDS

Abstract

Drying is an indispensable operation for the production of good quality seeds and grains. Since there is little information available in the specialized literature regarding the seed drying kinetics of sweet corn in thin layer, the objective was to determine the drying curves of the product and to adjust different mathematical models for cultivars BR 400 (Superdoce) and BR 402 (Sweet Crystal), in function of the temperature and relative humidity of drying air. In agreement with the obtained results we concluded that the humidity ratio curves of the sweet corn seeds, for both cultivars analyzed, can be appropriately described by Thompson’s models and Page, with their adjusted parameters in function of the temperature and relative humidity of the drying air. Page model was better adjusted to the drying data of Superdoce cultivar, while Thompson’s model was the best for the seeds of Sweet Crystal cultivar.

Keywords

• sweet corn
• drying
• mathematical models