LAUSR

ABSTRACT The study was aimed to investigate the mathematical modeling of drying kinetics and quality of shrimp (Metapenaeus dobsoni) dried under a solar–LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) hybrid dryer. The major components of the dryer were a solar water collector, insulated water storage tank, LPG burner with cylinder, drying chamber, stainless steel trays, axial flow fan, and heat exchanger. Initially, shrimps were treated by dipping in a salt solution (3% w/v, water to shrimp ratio of 1:1) at 80°C for 3 mins. The treated shrimps (76.71%, w.b) were dried to the final moisture content of 15.38% (w.b) within 6 h of drying. Mathematical modeling of the drying kinetics showed that the page model could accurately predict the drying behavior of shrimp. An effective moisture diffusivity value of 1.04 × 10−9 was obtained based on the Fick’s equation. Proximate and biochemical composition of dried shrimps were not significantly affected by drying process. The total plate count of dried shrimp was found to be within the acceptable limit (104 CFU/g). It was observed that dried shrimp had a shrinkage rate of 13.28% and a rehydration ratio of 2.48. In the sensory analysis, the color attribute received a significantly higher sensory score.