Mass Transfer Parameters and Modeling of Hot Air Drying Kinetics of Dill Leaves
Abstract Moisture diffusivity (Dem), mass transfer coefficient (hm), activation energy and drying kinetics of the dill leaves were studied and modeled as a function of temperature (40–70 °C) and moisture content (0.20–5.67 kg water/kg dry matter). Results showed that the Dem and hm significantly depend on the temperature and moisture content (p < 0.05). The average of Dem and hm varied between 4.02 × 10–9 to 9.65 × 10–9 m2/s, and 2.38 × 10–7 to 6.33 × 10–7 m/s, respectively. Activation energy showed a significant dependence on the moisture content and estimated as 16.84 kJ/mol for diffusion model and 28.70 kJ/mol for mass transfer model. Out of the six models considered, the logarithmic model showed the best fit to drying behavior of the dill leaves.