The main objective of this research was to investigate the potential of using IR heating to improve the drying rate and quality of banana. The specific objectives were: (1) Study the drying characteristics of banana during IR and HA drying; (2) Determine the impact of IR drying on product quality; (3) Study the contribution of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning to the overall browning in banana dried with IR; and (4) Develop models to predict the drying characteristics of banana dried with IR heating. IR dried banana was compared with that from HA drying as a control