Resumen

VEGA, A; ANDRES, A  y  FITO, P. Modeling the Drying Kinetics of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv Lamuyo). Inf. tecnol. [online]. 2005, vol.16, n.6, pp.3-11. ISSN 0718-0764.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07642005000600002.

The aim of this work was to study and model the kinetics of the hot air drying of pepper (cv Lamuyo) at different working temperatures (50, 60, 70, 80 ºC). The air speed was maintained constant at 2.5 m·s^-1 and the load density constant at 7 Kg·m^-2. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory drier which allowed recording of the sample mass in real time. The results demonstrated occurrence of three stages during the process, including a short first induction stage; a second stage in which the product moisture reached nearly 1 gram of water per gram of dry matter and in which the drying rate decreased linearly with the free moisture of the product; and a third, slower drying stage, in which the drying rate could be modeled using Fick's diffusion equations. Comparison of the experimental moisture values with those calculated following the proposed model demonstrated that the equations employed were adequate for a proper description of the process and useful for the calculation of the drying time for this product.

Palabras clave : food processing; red pepper; drying; diffusion; kinetics; modeling; Fick equations.