Estudo dos parâmetros de temperatura na umidade de alimentos para cães em secador contrafluxo

Abstract

The dog food sector has been experiencing significant growth, driving the industry’s adaptation through the improvement of production techniques and manufacturing control. However, there are still opportunities for improvement, especially in the production of extruded dry pet food, which dominates the market. The extrusion and drying stages, which are highly energy-intensive, involve multiple process parameters, increasing their complexity. Complex models become unfeasible due to the specificity of each industry, process, and product, making it difficult to optimize production and efficiently use raw materials. In this context, statistical analysis of process data stands out as an effective approach to enhancing efficiency and product quality. This study employed the response surface methodology, combined with statistical data analysis of an eight-tier vertical counterflow dryer, in which the temperature parameters of the four zones (T1, T2, T3, and T4) of the equipment were analyzed. The objective was to obtain a temperature trend profile during the drying process to achieve a target moisture content of 8.5%. The results indicated qualitatively significant correlations between temperatures in the different zones of the counterflow dryer, highlighting the opposite behavior in zones T2 and T4, as well as the high variability observed in the last zone. The first zone, T1, proved to be more stable and less susceptible to operational changes, while the final stages of the process were more critical for proper control. Optimizing the drying conditions was therefore essential to achieving the ideal moisture content and ensuring the quality of the processed food.