a b s t r a c t
The aim of this work was to study and to model the drying kinetics of fresh and ultrasonic pretreated
banana cv Pacovan using the diffusional model (Fick’s second law) and an empirical two parameters
model (Page model). The pretreatment was carried out in an ultrasonic bath at 30 C. The drying process
was carried out in a fixed bed dryer at two different temperatures (50 and 70 C) and 3.0 m/s air velocity.
Page empirical model provided the best simulation of the drying curves. The diffusional model was used
to describe the moisture transfer and the effective diffusivities of water were determined and were in the
order of 109 m2/s. These diffusivities increased with increasing temperature and with the application of
ultrasound, while the process time reduced, which can represent an economy of energy, since air drying
is cost intensive.
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