~ 126 ~ International Journal of Chemical Studies 2020; SP-8(6): 126-131 P-ISSN: 2349–8528 E-ISSN: 2321–4902 www.chemijournal.com IJCS 2020; SP-8(6): 126-131 © 2020 IJCS Received: 05-10-2020 Accepted: 29-11-2020 Baljor Singh Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Food Process Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Rohit Pratihar Master of Technology, Department of Food Process Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh Assistant Professor, Department of Food Process Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Vinay Kumar Pandey Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Bioengineering, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Sweta Singh Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Food Process Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Kunal Singh Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Food Process Engineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Corresponding Author: Vinay Kumar Pandey Ph.D., Scholar, Department of Bioengineering, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Mathematical modeling of seasoned onion slices by different drying methods Baljor Singh, Rohit Pratihar, Dr. Ajay Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Pandey, Sweta Singh and Kunal Singh DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i6b.11981 Abstract The main aim of the project is to study the Mathematical modeling of seasoned onion slices by different drying methods on moisture content, drying rate, and sensory attributes of seasoned onion slices. Seasoned onion (Allium Cepa) slices of uniform thickness were dried at three different temperatures (50 °C 60 °C and 70 °C) at constant air velocities in a dehydrator and two other dryers (microwave oven and hot air oven). Dried samples were evaluated for sensory attributes (viz. color, taste, and flavor) and quality attributes (viz. moisture content, drying rate). The samples were sealed in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags and stored and room temperature. The experimental drying kinetics data for seasoned onion slices were used to fit five thin layer drying models Henderson and Pabis, Page, Geometric model, Logarithmic model, and Modified Page model considering R 2 , SSE, MSE, RMSE as statistical criteria in selecting the best model. The logarithmic model provided the best fit for the drying. It had the highest R 2 and lowest RMSE values. The maximum value of R 2 evaluated was 0.999. This indicates that the Logarithmic model is appropriate to describe the dehydration behavior for the seasoned onion slices. Keywords: Onion, moisture loss, mathematical modeling, and dryers 1. Introduction Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important vegetable crop grown and consumed widely across the world. As a culinary ingredient, it adds to the taste and flavor in a wide range of food preparations and it is also used as a salad. Thus, there is a steady increase in the demand for onion across the world. China is the leading producer of onion constituting about 27% of the world's total production. India (22.03%) is the second-largest producer in the world with an area of 12.64 Lakh hectares and production of 206.01 Lakh tones (2014-15). The top ten countries including China and India, (mostly Asian countries) constitute more than 60% of the total world production. Yields of onion were higher in the case of Turkey (30.3 MT/ha) followed by Brazil (23.1 MT/ha) and China (22 MT/ha). Due to lower yields, though India has the highest area under onion, it stands second in the production of onion in the world. Hence, there is a lot of potential for increasing the production of the onion by improving the yields. Indians eat 15 million tons of onions a year (www.agritech2016.com). The onion (Allium cepa L.) has widely been used even in ancient times as a food seasoning and also as natural medicine. In current times, the onion is an important vegetable that is served as an ingredient in dishes, as toppings on burgers, in seasonings, and as chip coatings. Onions are a cool-season crop. The germination of onions is slow at 6 to 7 ºC, the optimum germination temperature range is 10 to 35 ºC, and the maximum temperature is 40 ºC. The onion crop is adapted to a growing season with air temperatures at 13 to 24 ºC. Low temperatures early in the season are desirable with higher temperatures after bulb formation. The onion is tolerant of frost but seedlings are generally only tolerant down to -1ºC. Some bunching onion cultivars overwinter in the milder areas of Atlantic Canada. Adequate soil moisture is required due to the relatively small root system. Seasoning is about improving the flavor of your food mostly via the addition of salt and pepper. Although herbs, spices, sweet things, and acidic things can also be considered seasoning, we’ll focus on salt and pepper for today. Onion (Allium cepa) is an important vegetable crop grown and consumed widely across the