Paper Title
Influence of Drying Conditions on Ginger Drying with Superheated Steam

Abstract
The purpose of this research is to study the effects of drying conditions, i.e., drying steam temperature and velocity on drying kinetics and quality of ginger dried by superheated steam drying. The experiments were conducted at drying steam temperatures of 120 - 180°C and velocities of 3 - 5 m/s under atmospheric pressure. Ginger with initial moisture content ofabout91.3% wet-basis was dried until the moisture content reached approximately18% wet-basis. The criteria for evaluation of quality of dried product were color, shrinkage and texture (toughness).Results showed that drying period decreased asdrying steam temperature and velocity increased. Total color difference seemed to decrease asvelocityincreased. The effects of drying steam temperature on total color change and shrinkage were not clear. Shrinkageand toughness decreased when drying velocity increased whereas increasing drying steam temperature reduced toughness.Consideringdrying period and quality, superheated steam drying at 180°C and 5 m/s is the best condition for drying ginger in this study. Keywords - Drying, Ginger, Superheated Steam, Quality.