Low temperature mushroom (A-bisporus) drying with desiccant dehumidifiers

Cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) slices of 2.5 and 5 mm thick were dried with dehumidified air at 20 degrees, 30 degrees and 40 degrees C. Rehydration ability of dried mushrooms was used as criteria for the evaluation and determination of optimum conditions. Drying mechanism of the mushroom slices was expressed by unsteady state diffusion and the results were interpreted by Fickian model. Drying temperatures lower than 40 degrees C promoted the production of light coloured mushrooms with high rehydration ratios. Diffusivity constants were in the range of 2.6-12 x 10(-11) m(2)/s and the activation energies varied in the range of 23.5-30.3 kJ/gmol depending on the temperature and sample thickness.