Applicability of moisture transfer Bi-Di correlation for convective drying of broccoli

A newly developed Biot number-Dincer number correlation was applied to determine moisture transport parameters of broccoli drying. Broccoli florets were dried in a single layer with suction flow changing the temperature and flow of drying air. Experimental dimensionless moisture content data were used to calculate the drying coefficients and lag factors, which were then incorporated into the analytical model for slab geometry. In a relatively simple manner, Biot number, effective moisture diffusivity and mass transfer coefficient were computed and ranged between 0.2272-0.3030, 3.5780 x 10(-6)-16.6670 x 10(-6) m(2) s(-1) and 1.9215 x 10(-4)-8.7256 x 10(-4) ms(-1), respectively. Effective moisture diffusivities calculated by newly developed equation which incorporated lag factor and drying coefficient differed from literature values. Experimental and predicted moisture profiles showed an excellent agreement for all drying conditions with mean errors ranging from +/- 1.26% to +/- 5.57%. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.