EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF THE COMMON PISTACHIO DRYERS IN KERMAN PROVINCE

In this study, the effect of four different type of dryers (batch wagon dryer, continuous vertical dryer, batch cylindrical vertical dryer and continuous cylindrical vertical dryer) with two levels of moisture content (m.c.) in pistachio nuts (4-6% and 10-12% db) on fuel consumption, change in splitting, drying uniformity, damage, storage life, texture, flavor, rancidity and color of pistachio kernel were studied and compared to sun drying.
It was found that drying to moisture content of 4-6% in continuous vertical dryer has maximum negative effect on the splitting of pistachio nuts.
Splitting number decreased in this dryer.
Sun drying increased nut splitting and the maximum damage rate was in wagon dryer.
Results indicated that sun drying had maximum uniformity and that the cylindrical vertical dryer could not dry pistachio nuts uniformly, because pistachio nuts had no movement in this dryer.
Drying curves were drawn for all of the dryers.
By these curves, we can draw the drying velocity and the fuel consumption for each time.
These curves indicated that to decrease 1% m.c. of pistachio nuts at three hours interval we need 8.5, 15.2 and 38.5 minutes respectively.

IV International Symposium on Pistachios and Almonds

M.A. Rostami, F. Mirdamadiha, A. Golshan

moisture content, fuel consumption, storage life.

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2006.726.101