Drying Characteristics and Kinetics Research of Gastrodia elata Blume under Infrared Blast Drying after Steaming

In order to research the drying characteristics of Gastrodia elata Blume under infrared blast drying after steaming,the effects of different temperatures(40,60,80℃)and cutting radius(0.8,1,1.2 cm)were investigated by infrared blast drying,meanwhile,the drying kinetic was established through nonlinear fitting. The results showed that the drying rate was faster while the temperature rose and the radius decreased. The effect of temperature on the drying rate was greater than that of the radius. The drying process mainly occurred in falling rate periods. According to statistical parameters on 6 drying kinetics,the Page model described and predicted the drying process of Gastrodia elata Blume more accurately than others. R²,χ² and RMSE were 0.9991,7.633×10^-5 and 0.0011. The Fick's second law of diffusion was employed to calculate the value of moisture effective diffusivity(Deff),which ranged from 1.9251×10^-8~4.0528×10^-8 m²/s,the activation energy was 17.1374 kJ/mol. This research results could provide theoretical basis for the post-harvest processing and comprehensive utilization of Gastrodia elata Blume.