Mathematical modelling of the thin-layer drying kinetics of some fruits

Abstract

The mathematical modelling of the food drying process is of significant importance to scientific and engineering calculations. Thin-layer drying models represent valuable tools for modelling the drying curve and estimating the drying time. These models have wide application due to the ease of use and requirement of less data compared to complex mathematical models. In this paper, the thin-layer drying kinetics of some fruits (namely, pear and quince) was studied. Using an experimental setup designed to simulate an industrial convective dryer, the experimental results were obtained at five drying air temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 oC) and three drying air velocities (1, 1.5 and 2 ms-1). For the approximation of the experimental data with regard to the moisture ratio, a new thin-layer model was developed. The performed statistical analysis shows that this model has the best performance features compared to other well-known thin-layer drying models found in the scientific literature.