Effects of drying techniques on the sorption properties of dried Cassava chips from ‘‘Oko-Iyawo’’ Cassava local variety

Abstract

The distinguishing attributes of preserved cassava chips depend on their moisture content, the periodic passage of moisture, and interactions with moisture during storage. The water activity level, which corresponds to the equilibrium moisture content range, was determined by the use of moisture isotherms. A local variety of Cassava tubers, “oko iyawo,” was obtained from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching and Research Farm. The moisture sorption isotherms of the Cassava chips were determined at 27°C in the room temperature and 10-80% relative humidity range using the standard static gravimetric method, while the Cassava chips were subjected to sorption and measured periodically between 10-80% relative humidity until the equilibrium moisture content was reached. The modified Henderson sorption model was tested to fit the experimental data. A nonlinear regression analysis was used to evaluate the constants of the sorption GAB and MGAB models. The GAB and MGAB models were good fits for predicting the moisture sorption isotherms of sun-dried Cassava chips, while the MGAB model was a good fit for predicting the moisture sorption isotherms of solar and cabinet-dried Cassava chips. The GAB and MGAB models exhibited the best fit for predicting the moisture adsorption isotherms of sun-dried cassava chips at 27°C. Further studies should be conducted on the storage of the “oko iyawo” variety of cassava chips using appropriate packaging materials, and investigations of the isothermal attributes and other temperature characteristics of the Cassava chip product should be performed because it aligns with several sustainable development goals (SDGs).