Mathematical Modeling of Drying Pattern of Ogi Produced From Two Types of Maize Grain

This paper presents thin layer modeling of ogi produced from yellow and white maize at varying soaking period and dried in the cabinet and oven at 50 ºC. The moisture decrease for cabinet dried ogi produced from white maize from 49.0 11.5%, 49.5 to 11.32%, 46.5 to 12.33% and 46.12.29%. The drying rate for both oven and cabinet dried ogi produced from yellow maize decreased from 4.6 to 0.0525 kg/min, 4.5 to 0.0513 kg/min, 4.35 to 0.049 kg/min and 4.4 to 0.047 kg/min while for oven dried ogi followed a similar trend. The experimental data obtained were fitted to five thin layer models: Newton, Page, Herderson and Pabis, Two term and Wingh and Singh models. The values obtained for ogi produced from white maize and dried in the cabinet and oven at 50 ºC for Newton model gave a lower R2, ?2, RMSE compared with respective values obtained from Page, Herderson and Pabis, two term, Wing and Singh models. The two terms model appear to be the best model among the five models used in this work and had higher R2, lower ?2, and RMSE. The ogi produced from yellow maize at varying soaking period of 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours and dried in cabinet dryer and fitted with two term showed model constants a, K0, b, K1 0.04315, 0.0388995, 0.919, 2.2 × 10-3 while the R2, ?2 RMSE were 0.9933, 5.85 × 10-4 and 4.85 × 105 for ogi produced for 24 hours soaking, respectively. The soaking period does not seem to affect the moisture ratio and the thin layer drying model. However, the initial moisture and equipment seems to affect significantly.