DRYING OF SHIITAKE MUSHROOM BY CIRCULATION DRIER

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain high-quality dried SHIITAKE (Cortinellus shiitake) having excellent color and gloss of the pileus and color of the gills and having the brim of the pileus rolled sufficiently inward, at a low fuel cost, by circulating a part of the moisture-containing exhaust from the drying chamber together with hot air several times to the chamber for the drying of SHIITAKE. CONSTITUTION:The heating chamber 1 of a circulation drier is furnished with an air blasting fan 6 and a furnace 7 having a burner B. A number of SHIITAKEs are arranged on the plural shelves 8 of the drying chamber 3 which is placed adjacent to the heating chamber 1 interposing a partition wall 2 therebetween. Air heated at 40-42 deg.C is introduced from the bottom of the drying chamber 3. 3/4 of the exhaust gas is discharged from the ceilling of the drying chamber 3 by adjusting the opening of the exhaust valve 9, and the remaining part is circulated through the heating chamber 1 into the drying chamber 3 together with outer air sucked through the suction valve 4 and the suction hole 5. The temperature of the hot air introduced to the bottom of the drying chamber is adjusted to 45 deg.C when the humidity of the top part of the chamber 3 is 50-45%. When the humidity is lowered to 45-40%, 1/2 or the exhaust is discharged and the remaining part of air is circulated together with outside air. The introducing hot air temperature is set to 48%oC at a humidity of 30-26%, and when the humidity becomes 22-18%, 1/4 of the exhaust is discharged and the remaining part is circulated together with outside air. When the humidity becomes <=18%, the hot air temperature is set to 50 deg.C and the drying of SHIITAKE is continued until the water-content of SHIITAKE becomes <=13%.