Vol. 12, Issue 3 (2023)

Author(s):
E Jayashree and Desmond Joseph

Abstract:
The experiments on drying of nutmeg mace inside solar tunnel dryer with biomass back up and in a mechanical dryer at three varying temperatures of 45, 50 and 55 °C was evaluated. The process of drying nutmeg mace in solar tunnel dryer was completed in 33 h while in mechanical dryer, at drying temperatures of 45, 50 and 55 °C, nutmeg drying was completed in 105, 102 and 78 h. Physical properties like moisture (5.48%), bulk density (171.49 kg/m³) and dry recovery (33.56%) were obtained for nutmeg mace dried in solar tunnel dryer with biomass backup. Maximum retention of essential oil (9.07%) and oleoresin (33.49%) was obtained in nutmeg mace dried in a mechanical dryer at 45 °C while lycopene content (186.57%) was highest in nutmeg mace dried in mechanical dryer at 55 °C. Mechanical drying at a temperature of 55 °C could complete the drying process of mace in 6 h The important constituents identified in nutmeg mace oil were sabinene, saffrole, elemicin, limonene, myristicin, α-pinene, β-pinene, β-myrcene, careen, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene, terpinolene, terpineol, eugenol methyl ether and α-Thujene.