Open Access

ARTICLE

Drying Characteristics and Process Optimization of Banana Slices Using Hot Air-Infrared Combined Drying

Guofeng Han, Chenxi Luo, Xin Liu, Yuanyuan Li, Yuling Cheng, Shuai Huang, Dan Huang^*

Engineering Research Center for Forestry Equipment of Hunan Province, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, China

* Corresponding Author: Dan Huang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Innovations in Drying Technologies: Bridging Industrial, Environmental, and Energy Efficiency Challenges)

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer 2025, 23(6), 1981-1999. https://doi.org/10.32604/fhmt.2025.074593

Received 14 October 2025; Accepted 02 December 2025; Issue published 31 December 2025

Abstract

Bananas are highly perishable after harvest, and processing them into dried products is a crucial approach to reducing losses and adding their economic values. To address the inefficiency and prolonged duration of traditional hot air drying (HAD) and the quality inconsistency associated with single infrared drying (IRD), this study proposed a novel hot air-infrared combined drying (HAD-IRD) strategy. The effects of HAD, IRD, and HAD-IRD on the drying kinetics, color, rehydration capacity, moisture diffusion mechanism, and sensory quality of banana slices were systematically investigated. The parameters of the combined drying process were optimized using an L₉(3³) orthogonal experimental design. Results indicated that both IRD and HAD-IRD significantly reduced drying time compared to single HAD. While single IRD achieved a rapid drying rate, the lack of effective convective airflow led to potential case-hardening and unstable product quality. In contrast, the HAD-IRD strategy demonstrated a synergistic effect. The optimal parameters were determined as follows: hot air temperature of 70°C, infrared temperature of 60°C, and radiation distance of 16 cm. Under these optimized conditions, HAD-IRD reduced the total drying time by over 70% while simultaneously yielding products with superior color, higher sensory scores, and improved rehydration ratio. This study confirms that HAD-IRD is an efficient and high-quality drying method for banana slices, providing a reliable theoretical foundation and technical solution for the drying of thermosensitive fruits.

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Keywords

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