Description of Seedless Grape Drying and Determination of Drying Rate

Abstract

This article compares some empirical models, with one or two parameters, used to describe seedless grape drying at low temperature. Chosen models have, as a common characteristic, an analytical expression for the derivative of dimensionless moisture content with respect to time. Comparison of the results for the simulations of drying kinetics indicates that, despite Page and Silva et alli models well represent the process, the best model is Peleg. For this model, the statistical indicators of the simulation can be considered excellent (the determination coefficient is R² = 0.99944 and the chi-square is χ² = 1.2335 x 10^-3).