(Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ife, 1985) Ajibola, O. O.
Moisture equilibrium data for desorption of water from ripe and unripe plantain were obtained at 40°, 50o, 60° and 70o over a range of relative humidities from 10 to 90 percent, using a static gravimetric method. Rite plantain exhibited higher equilibrium moisture content (EMC) than unripe plantain under the same conditions. A non-linear least squares regression programme was used to fit 5 desorption isotherm models to the experimental data and the parameters of the models evaluated. Using the modified Halsey model, the minimum standard error of estimates of the EMC was 1.9% for ripe and 1.4% for unripe plantain.
(Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ife, 1983) Ajibola, O. O.
The effects of conditioning processes, underlying layer and weather factors on field drying rate of alfalfa were investigated. Drying of chopped, macerated and dewatered alfalfa was affected progressively by the intensity of the change in physical characteristics and inversely by the rate of moisture transfer from the underlying surface. The depressing effect on the drying rate of rolling the macerated and dewatered samples into sheets approximately 6mm thick, was more noticeable on a wetter underlying surface.