In conclusion, the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) value was dependent on
the ambient temperatures and the predicted EMC value from the Oswin and Halsey
models were the best fitting to the experiment results of small and large shrimp,
respectively. The empirical thin-layer drying equation of shrimp using Page’s model
was the best fitting to the experimental results. The drying kinetics of shrimps was well
explained by a diffusion model while an effective diffusion coefficient can be found
using an Arrhenius function of drying air temperature. The value was in the range of
1.056×10-7 to 1.7989×10-7 m2/s at inlet drying temperatures of 40 - 70 °C. Considering
the properties of dried shrimp after drying, the results showed that an infrared heat
source improved the redness value of the shrimps while hot air convection gave a high
brightness value compared to all other experiments. However, Hunter L-a-b values are
significantly affected by drying temperature compared to the initial moisture content of
the shrimps. Two-stage drying for small and large size shrimp with infrared radiation of
500 W and a drying temperature of 70 °C was found to be suitable for producing high
quality dried shrimp.