Vol. 11, Issue 3 (2022)

Author(s):
HS Kathyayini and Dronachari Manvi

Abstract:
Silkworm pupae (Bombyx Mori) is not well known among consumers but it is an interesting by-product obtained after the extraction of silk thread from cocoons. It is an immediate by-product of reeling industry obtained after reeling off the silk thread. Dead pupae are highly perishable and value addition to silkworm pupae can be enhanced by finding suitable preservation methods by conversion of pupae into convenient processed products for wider market acceptability. The Present investigation is aimed to study the drying of wet silkworm pupae by using different types of dryers and physical properties of silkworm pupae were studied before and after drying. Dead silkworm pupae were dried by using different dryers and best drying method is selected based on retention of biochemical parameters. The drying time has taken to reduce the moisture content from 80.5 per cent (w.b) to 8.05 per cent (w.b) using different dryers i.e., open sun drying, solar tunnel dryer, tray dryer, vaccum tray dryer and freeze dryer in 23 hours at 30.85 ºC, 8 hours at 64 ºC, 6 hours at 65 ºC, 7.5 hours at 55 ºC and 12 hours at – 46 ºC. Freeze drying is found to be the best method for drying of silkworm pupae compared to the other four drying methods. Because freeze dried pupae retained all nutritional and physical properties similar to raw pupae.