Effect of precooking on drying kinetics of taro (Colocasia esculenta) slices and quality of its flours

The study describes the influence of precooking on drying kinetics of taro slices and quality of resulted flour. The precooked slices in different medium required lesser drying time as compared to uncooked slices. Precooking time had the significant reduction in drying time of slices to achieve desired final moisture content. Seven thin layer drying models were selected to describe the drying behavior of precooked taro slices. On the basis of highest R-2, lowest chi(2) and RMSE value, Logarithmic model was the most appropriate to describe the drying behavior of precooked taro slices. The effective moisture diffusivity of precooked taro slices was found in the range 3.55x10(-9) to 6.84x10(-9) m(2)/s. The flour from taro slices, cooked in lemon solution had lowest anti-nutritional factors and better color but comparatively inferior functional properties. By considering overall quality of flour, water cooked slices flour samples was the best.