Comparison and modeling of adsorption isotherms of tropical vegetables: plantain (musa paradisiaca aab var. corne 1), okra (abelmoschus esculentus var. tomi) and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum var. P

Plantain (Musa Paradisiaca AAB var. Corne 1), okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus var. Tomi) and bell pepper (Capsicum Annuum var. PM17/04A) contribute to food security in developing countries such as Côte d'Ivoire. These foods, which have high moisture content, can be kept only within a few days after harvest. Processing these products by drying and changing into flour is one solution for easy handling and long-term storage. Moisture adsorption isotherm information is clearly needed for processing of plantain, okra and bell pepper flour. However the published literature about adsorption isotherms of these products is limited. The objectives of this work were to determination their adsorption isotherms, and to evaluate GAB sorption isotherm model. The adsorption data were analyzed for determination of monolayer moisture content. The adsorption isotherms had sigmoid sharp profiles (type II). GAB model was the most appropriate for the adsorption isotherm of plantain flour. A higher water content was observed in plantain (33.1 gH2O/100g) compared to okra (28.06 gH2O/100g) and pepper flour (21.14 gH2O/100g). The monolayer moisture content (gH2O /100 g dry matter) range from 0.7972g for bell pepper to 3.852g for plantain flour. That of okra was 1.296g. These values were optimal in order to ensure safe storage condition.