The effect of hot-air drying namely drying time (3-15 h), drying temperature (40-80°C) and loading capacity (0.5-2.0 kg/m2) on the physicochemical
characteristics of kaffir lime leaves was optimized using Response Surface Methodology. Twenty treatments were assigned based on the secondorder
CCD including 6 center points, 6 axial points and 8 factorial points. The quality of dried kaffir lime leaves was evaluated by determining
moisture content, water activity, texture (brittleness) and Hunter L, a, b values. The results indicated that the most significant (p