Superheated Steam Drying of Paneer Using Artificial Neural Network: a Technique of Drying Food Products with Steam at Low Temperature and Pressure

Paneer was dried at 62, 72, 82 degree Celsius and 10, 14 and 18 kPa respectively. Experiments were conducted at low pressure superheated steam and vacuum. Rehydration characteristics, Textural properties were evaluated to check the quality of paneer. Empirical models namely page?s, generalized exponential and logarithmic were fitted to drying data of moisture ratio. The model was selected on the basis of maximum coefficient of determination and standard deviation. Artificial Neural Network model was fitted in drying data. ANN modeling was done at hidden layers 1 and 2 and nine neurons. The optimal architecture was selected after calculation of mean relative error, standard deviation of mean relative error, percentage of relative mean square error and standard deviation of percentage of relative mean square error. The quality of paneer dried using superheated steam was better than that by vacuum drying. In general, with increase in temperature, rehydration ratio was decreased. Hardness, adhesiveness, gumminess and chewiness increased with increase in temperature and decreased with increase in pressure. Cohesiveness however decreased with increase in temperature and pressure.