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Fernando AJ1*, Wimalaweera TPM1, Weerasooriya GVTV1, Bandara DMSP2
1Department of Agricultural Engineering and Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata
University of Sri Lanka, Puliyankulama, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
2National Institute of Post-Harvest Management, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the drying performance of an electric-powered hot-air batch
dryer. Freshly harvested paddy (BG350) with initial moisture contents of 18.62 ± 1.75% and 21.91 ± 2.54%
(wet basis) was dried at bed thicknesses of 0.10 m and 0.25 m, and evaluated for moisture content,
germination rate, and head rice yield using two-way ANCOVA and non-linear regression. Performance
evaluation was conducted according to ISO 11520-1:1997 standards. According to the results, the moisture
content of paddy was lowered to 13.56±0.35% and 14.38±0.08% (wet basis) within 70 and 140 minutes of drying
time for 0.10 m and 0.25 m bed thicknesses, respectively. The drying curves illustrated a falling-rate period.
The drying rate constant (k) was 0.0059 for the 0.10 m bed and 0.0035 for the 0.25 m, confirming that drying was
faster at the lower bed thickness, as indicated by the higher k value. Statistical analysis revealed that, after
controlling for initial moisture content, both bed thickness and drying time had a significant effect (p ≤0.05)
on the final moisture content. Bed thickness also significantly affected (p ≤0.05) germination rate, cracked grain
percentage, and head rice yield. However, discoloration analysis indicated no significant effect of bed thickness or
initial moisture content on grain color. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that the paddy bed thickness in the
electric-powered hot-air batch dryer significantly impacts both drying efficiency and quality of dried paddy.
These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing drying conditions to enhance paddy quality and dryer performance.
Keywords: Cracked grain percentage, Drying rate, Grain drying, Moisture content, Postharvest
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