Production of green banana powder using foam-mat drying as influenced by drying air temperature: Experimental and 3D numerical study

Theoretical modeling helps predict a drying system's behavior to analyze mass and heat transfer in actual drying conditions. This research sought to simulate transfer phenomena during foam-mat drying of unripe banana pulp. The impact of drying air temperature were investigated on some physicochemical features of the final powder. An increase in the temperature raised the drying rate, water-solubility index, and total color difference. The results showed that the distribution of moisture in the foam dried at 60 degrees C was more uniform compared to 50 and 70 degrees C. The uniform distributions of moisture and temperature in the process improved the final powder quality. The powder morphology analyzed with the field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that increasing the temperature resulted in a smoother surface and lower wrinkling in the powders. The glass transition temperature was maximized at 62.62 degrees C at drying air temperature of 60 degrees C. Practical Applications Foam-mat drying could be used to dry a wide range of foods, including vegetables, milk, fruits, and juices. Unripe banana (UB) powder produced by this method, which contains high resistant starch can be used as a fiber source with prebiotic capacity in bakery and confectionery industry to make functional products such as functional cake. Products produced or enriched with UB flour has shown suitable starch digestion properties, and therefore, could be considered a nutritional alternative for people with obesity and diabetes problems. Moreover, resistant starch, due to its therapeutic effects on the large intestine can be useful for various gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, for example, constipation.

Automated summary

The study investigated the effects of drying air temperature on the physicochemical properties of the final powder during foam-mat drying of unripe banana pulp. It was found that higher temperatures led to increased drying rates, water-solubility index, and total color difference in the powder.