Descrição da cinética de secagem das sementes de jaca (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) e analise físico-química das sementes e endocarpos.

Abstract

The present research aimed to describe and optimize the drying processes of jackfruit seeds with the presence and absence of the endocarp and to analyze the influence of temperature and the presence of the endocarp on the parameters and physical-chemical properties of the samples. For the experiment to be carried out, the jackfruit seeds with and without endocarp were placed in hollow baskets and had their mass measured before, during and after drying (60 °C and 70 °C) at previously stipulated times, until reaching the equilibrium moinsture content. Concomitant to this, the length, thickenss and width of jackfruit seeds without endocarp were measured in order to determine the shrinkage. For the description of drying kinetics, empirical and diffusive models wereused considering the case of a finite cylinder. The time of seed drying was also optimized. Through the data obtained in the description of drying kinetics and optimization of drying time, drying and preparation of jackfruit seeds and endocarps was carried out with subsequent physical-chemical analysis. According to the results obtained, it was observed that the empirical modeling described by the Silva et alii model described the experimental data satisfactorily. The presence of the endocarp had a significant influence on increasing the drying time of the seeds. The effective water diffusivity calculated by means of the analytical and numerical solution had its increase influenced by the elevation of the drying temperature. The seeds with endocarp showed superficial and internal resistance verified through the convective mass transfer coefficient and by reducing the Biot number. The shrinkage of the samples intensified with increasing temperature. The numerical solution described the experimental data satisfactorily when compared to the analytical one. The energy savings through the drying time optimizations were 7.5 hours for the SJCE at 60°C and 15.75 hours for the SJCE sample at 70°C. As for the physical-chemical analyzes, flours with an excellent protein content and low fat content were obtained. The moisture content and Aw of the FESJ were in line with the recommended. However, the moisture content, Aw, pH and acidity of some samples of FSJ analyzed did not comply with current regulations.