Drying kinetics and mathematical modeling of dried macaroni supplemented with Gac aril

Abstract

Macaroni is dried after being boiled to maintain their quality and extend their shelf life. Evaluation of moisture and nutrient changes aims to provide an overview of the phenomena occurring during the drying process. Thin layer drying kinetics of macaroni supplemented with Gac aril in hot air drying was investigated for temperatures range of 60 to 90ºC with six theoretical models were evaluated. It was observed that the Logarithmic equation gave the best prediction to the drying kinetics evidenced by high coefficient of determination (R2 ranging from 0.98-0.99). The lowest RMSE (0.0103 to 0.0426) and χ2 values (0.0002 to 0.0024) were obtained from the Logarithmic model within the defined temperature range. Diffusivity coefficients of moisture transfer were found ranging from 1.64×10−12 to 2.31 ×10−12 m2s−1 with activation energy was determined at 11.81 kJ.mol−1. Drying at 80ºC for 9 hours was selected for this product, the degradation kinetics of β-carotene and lycopene in macaroni followed a first-order kinetic model with half-life values were determined.