Optimisation of Drying Temperature and Time for Ackee (Blighia sapida) Aril Flour Using Response Surface Methodology

Ackee (Blighia sapida) aril is a nutrient-rich but highly perishable fruit, which limits its utilization and industrial application. While previous studies have reported physicochemical and functional properties of dried ackee aril and flours, they lack statistically optimisied drying conditions for ackee aril. This study therefore aimed to obtain an optimal combination of temperature and time for the drying of ackee aril using Response Surface Methodology (RSM).  Optimisation was performed using Central Composite Design under RSM of Design Expert 12.0. The drying temperature was between 45-60 °C and the drying time was between 40-70 h. The total of thirteen experimental runs of the combination of drying time and temperature for drying of the ackee aril were produced by RSM. The responses chosen were Proximate and phytochemical (total phenol, flavonoid, total carotenoid, oxalate and phytate). The result showed that the optimal drying condition was 60 ºC for 72 h. Under this drying condition the moisture, fibre, protein and phytate content were 11.995, 7.271, 29.254 and 0.102%, respectively are desirably. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of RSM in optimizing the drying process for production of ackee aril flour and contribute to the value addition. This research’s finding can be scaled up industrially, potentially enhancing food security and economic development.