Improve Drying Performance of Noodles using Hot Air Combined with Infrared Stimulation

Noodles are a product that has a large amount of consumption in Thailand. Therefore, it is important to extend the shelf life and increase the value of the noodles by drying. However, drying noodles has a relatively high energy consumption. For this reason, it is necessary to develop an energy-efficient drying process. Therefore, this research aims to study the drying of noodles using hot air combined with infrared stimulation. The drying performance was compared between the case with and without infrared stimulation. The experimental conditions were as follows: drying temperatures were 45, 50, and 55°C and hot air velocity were 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m/s. Criteria used to evaluate drying performance include drying rate and specific energy consumption. The study found that increasing in drying temperature and hot air velocity resulted in an increase in the drying rate and power of the dryer. Meanwhile, the specific energy consumption has decreased. It was also found that the drying efficiency of noodles using hot air combined with infrared stimulation was higher than the drying efficiency without infrared stimulation.