Hybrid mixture theory based moisture transport and stress development in corn kernels during drying: Validation and simulation results

► The region with highest moisture content was observed away from the center covering parts of soft-endosperm and germ. ► High moisture flux was observed under pericarp, at top of soft-endosperm and in region connecting soft-endosperm and germ. ► The germ tended to retain higher amount of moisture and exhibited lower moisture flux. ► Intermittent drying would be a viable option for drying corn with lower stress-cracking and additional energy savings.