Comparison of efficiency between liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electric hot air dryer: case study of dried pork slice

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo reduce the foods spoilage in remote areas of Thailand where electricity is inaccessible, drying processes must be applied. This research developed an LPG hot air dryer under insufficient electricity supply and investigated its performance on dried pork slice under different air velocities (1, 1.5 and 2 m/s) and temperatures (50, 55 and 60°C). The results were compared with those of an electric hot air dryer, under the same conditions, to determine the optimal device. The drying rate from both dryers increased with an increase in temperature and air velocity. This mostly fitted with Avhad and Marchetti model. However, the lowest specific energy consumption was found in LPG hot air dryer. The moisture in dried pork slices was lower than 30%, regardless of different dryers. This agreed with Thai community product standard. Therefore, the LPG hot air dryer could be used as an alternative instrument for drying pork slice.

Keywords

• LPG hot air dryer
• drying process
• drying efficiency