Mathematical Modeling of Thin Layer Drying Kinetics of ginger (Zingiber officinale) in Solar Conduction Dryer

Abstract This study investigated the drying kinetics and effective moisture diffusivity of ginger slices dried in solar conduction dryer (SCD) using theoretical and semi-theoretical mathematical models. Ginger samples of 3–6 mm, 6-9mm, 9–14 mm and solid samples were dried in the solar conduction dryer and a comparative analysis between various mathematical models were performed and validated via statistical analysis. Among the semi-theoretical models, the Page model provided the best prediction for the samples 6–9 mm, 9–14 mm and solid samples whereas the Ademiluyi Modified Page model provided the best prediction for the 3–6 mm samples with the highest R² and lowest chi-squared (χ²), and the root mean square error (RMSE) values. The effective moisture diffusivity calculated via nonlinear regression ranged from 1.73 × 10⁻⁹ to 9.69 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s. The study concludes that slicing the ginger as s sample preparation is important and critical for drying with thinner slices resulting in shorter drying times.