Analise da secagem de residuo de leite de soja "Okara" em secadores de leito de jorro e de cilindro rotativo assistido a microondas / Drying of soy milk residue in the spouted bed dryer and rotary cylindrical dryer assisted by microwaves

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The use of industrial residues has become more and more important to avoid the environment contamination and to make use of resources considered wastes in the chemical and food industries. Actually, the approximated soy milk production in the world is unknown; however, it is known that large amounts of its residue, named "Okara", are generated by its production. Drying is an operation that could make this residue viable. The drying is a technology widely used by the industries to improve the quality and extend the shelf-life of the products due the decrease of the degraded reactions. Another result of a drying process is the decrease of the product s weigh and size, facilitating its transport and storage. However, until now, despite the technologic overhauls in the chemical and food industries, problems persist on defining the specific appropriate methods to dry different biological materials, mainly those used as human food. The soy milk residue is rich in proteins, fibers and vitamins, what makes it important in decreasing the enormous protein deficit of the world population, beyond the possibility of elaborating new products using Okara as ingredient, thus giving aggregate value to these new products. Okara is a very moist particulate material, 80% (b.u.), with high content of superficial moisture. A mechanic pressing operation before drying is indicated to decrease the Okara initial moisture content to around 60% (b.u.) and in this way optimize the drying process, without non-necessaries energy losses. The Okara is a thermo-sensible material and, while wet, highly deteriorative. After pressing, this material is particulate, highly cohesive, hard flowing, porous and with highly internal moist content (being not possible to be characterized as a paste). The objective of this research is the analysis of the soy milk residue drying using three types of dryers: conventional spouted bed dryer, rotary cylindrical dryer assisted by microwaves and microwave oven drier. The drying in the spouted bed was made in batch process while, in the rotary cylindrical dryer with application of microwaves it was conducted continuously. The use of inert material inside the dryer was necessary in both cases: in the spouted bed dryer, the inert that showed better fluid-dynamic with the Okara was the polypropylene, while in the rotary dryer the inert that showed better transport monitoring of Okara particles was the polystyrene. The same procedure was followed to prepare the Okara for both equipments. The variables analyzed in the spouted bed dryer were: drying air temperature, ratio between the air flow rate and minimum spout flow rate and time of material shredding; in the rotary cylindrical dryer assisted by microwaves, the independent variables were: drying air temperature and flow rate and microwave power. For both dryers, an experimental factorial design, 2³, was applied and the responses analyzed were: Okara moisture content for a fixed drying time and parameters of Page model for the drying kinetics (the last for the spouted bed dryer only). Operational performance was also determined for both dryers by productivity and process thermal efficiency. Physical properties were determined for Okara before drying and after the dryer exit. The microwave oven dryer was used to determine the drying kinetics, controlling the same variables as in the rotary cylindrical dryer

ASSUNTO(S)

drying milk soybean drying secagem drying machine processo de leito de jorro microondas microwaves maquinas - secagem leite de soja - secagem spouted bed processes

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