Thin-layer convective drying behaviour of brazilian peppertree leaves

Abstract

Studies on the drying kinetics of medicinal, aromatic and spice plants are a necessary step towards establishing the combination of drying parameters that would not qualitatively and quantitatively alter the quality of the fresh product. The purpose of this study was to investigate the drying kinetics of Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius) leaves and to verify whether the theoretical diffusion and the semi-empirical Lewis drying models were capable of accurately predicting the drying curves of the product at 35, 40, and 45°C, with a dry air mass flow rate of 0.731 kg s -1 m -2 . Leaves were collected at 0800 h, 1200 h and 1700 h. The goodness of fit between experimental and predicted values was based on the correlation coefficient, root mean square error, mean absolute percentage error, mean bias error, and fit index. Residual plot analysis was also considered in the selection of the most effective drying model. Temperature had a pronounced effect on mass transfer and drying rate decreased continuously during the course of drying. Leaf collection time had little influence on the drying kinetics. Effective moisture diffusivity was found to increase with temperature. The results indicated that the Lewis model was considered a better predictor of the thin-layer drying behaviour of Brazilian peppertree leaves than the theoretical model based on Fick's second law of diffusion.

Physical and Chemical Properties, Flavor and Organoleptic Characteristics of a Walnut and Purple Rice Fermented Plant Drink

“…The samples were analyzed for their chemical composition (protein, fat, total solids, and ash) using standard AOAC 2005 procedures [19,20].…”

Application of Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for Predicting Chemical Composition of Feces in Holstein Dairy Cows and Calves

“…To establish the DM content, air-dried samples underwent a secondary drying process at 105 • C for a duration of 4 h to attain a constant weight before analysis. Following the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) (International, 1995), we used method 988.05 of the AOAC for CP content, method 920.39 of the AOAC for EE content, and method 924.05 of the AOAC for ash content [22]. The NDF and ADF contents were ascertained using an ANKOM 2000i automatic fiber analyzer (Beijing Anke Borui Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing, China).…”