Desidratação de tomates em secador de bandejas.

Abstract

Dehydration of tomatoes in tray dryer with incandescent lamps heating system and aid of silica gel was studied. The lamps, in a total of twelve, were installed in the four internal faces of the dryer, under each tray of samples. The tomatoes were sliced and put in three alternate trays with other three trays containing the silica gel. The drying was made in thin layer in temperatures of 50, 60 and 70ºC, and the drying kinetics was determined. For mathematical fitting of the experimental results the Henderson, Page and Wang & Singh models were used. The smallest time of drying was reached in the temperature of 70ºC. Page and Wang & Singh models were well fitted to the experimental data, with determination coefficients (R2) about 0.99.