# Chaos-Enhanced, Optimization-Based Interpretable Classification Model and Performance Evaluation in Food Drying

## TL;DR

This study uses an advanced AI method to optimize and explain the drying process of Paşa pears, showing how temperature and air speed affect drying efficiency.

## Contribution

The study introduces the first application of the oscillatory chaotic sunflower optimization algorithm (OCSFO) to generate interpretable rules for food drying without discretization.

## Key findings

- Drying performance is significantly influenced by temperature and air velocity, with product mass decreasing from 450 g to 103 g.
- The OCSFO algorithm achieved over 90% success in classifying drying performance into high, medium, and low categories.
- Energy consumption and cabin temperature distribution play a supporting role in determining drying efficiency classes.

## Abstract

Food drying is a widely used preservation technique; however, achieving high energy efficiency while maintaining product quality remains a significant challenge. This study aims to analyze comprehensive experimental data obtained during the hot-air drying process of the Paşa pear (regional pear) and the system’s autonomous control structure using an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI)-based method. The intelligent drying system, operating for approximately 17.5 h under two temperatures (50 °C and 65 °C) and two air speeds (0.63 m/s and 1.03 m/s), continuously adjusted the temperature and air speed using a PLC-based control mechanism; it ensured stable control throughout the process by monitoring parameters such as product weight, moisture, inlet–outlet temperatures, and air speed in real time. Experimental results showed that drying performance varied significantly with operating conditions, with product mass decreasing from 450 g to 103 g. The innovative aspect of the study is that it obtained quantitative, interpretable rules without discretization by applying the oscillatory chaotic sunflower optimization algorithm (OCSFO) to multidimensional control and process data for the first time. Thanks to its chaotic search mechanism, OCSFO accurately analyzed complex drying dynamics and created rules that achieved over 90% success for high, medium, and low performance classes. The obtained explainable rules clearly demonstrate that drying temperature and air velocity are the dominant determining parameters for drying efficiency, while energy consumption and cabin temperature distribution play a supporting role in distinguishing between efficiency classes. These rules clearly demonstrate how changes in controlled temperature and air velocity, combined with product weight and heat transfer, affect drying performance. Thus, the study offers a robust framework that identifies critical factors affecting drying performance through a transparent artificial intelligence approach that leverages both the autonomous control system and XAI-based rule mining.