Drying Of Slices Research Articles

INFRARED DRYING KINETICS OF COATED PEACH SLICES WITH BASIL SEED AND XANTHAN GUMS

The objective of the current work was aimed to estimate the influence of novel edible coatings based on basil seed and xanthan gums, and infrared (IR) radiation power on the drying efficiency of coated peach slices were investigated in an IR dryer system. Moisture ratio data of IR drying of peach slices were fitted to 7 various empirical thin-layer equations. It was found that Page model has the best fit to show the kinetic behavior and acceptably described the IR drying behavior of coated peach slices with the lowest mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and standard error (SE) values and the highest correlation coefficient (r) value. The values of MSE, RMSE, and MAE for all experiments were in the ranges of 0.00017-0.00047, 0.013-0.022, and 0.011-0.018, respectively. The average drying time of uncoated peach slices, coated by xanthan gum and coated by basil seed gum were 52.78, 60.00, and 76.22 min, respectively. The average effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) of uncoated and coated peach slices with basil seed and xanthan gums increased from 2.18×10-9 m2/s to 4.56×10-9 m2/s with increasing IR lamp power from 150 W to 375 W.

Performance evaluation of a locally designed stepped solar distillation-cum-active drying unit

Experiments have been performed on an innovative stepped solar distillation-cum-active drying unit (SSD-ADU). The basin of the distillation unit is made in the stepped form and its underneath part works as a drying unit which is integrated with a solar flat plate collector. Thermal analysis of the SSD-ADU has been performed at water flow rates of 50 and 65 mL min−1 in the distillation unit for drying ginger. The developed unit has been found to perform better at lower water flow rate for which the drying of bitter gourd and potato slices has also been tested. The average values of internal and external heat transfer coefficients at lower flow rate for distillation unit are found to be 121.20 and 18.95 Wm−2 °C, respectively. The average values of convective heat transfer coefficients for the drying of ginger, bitter gourd and potato slices have been evaluated as 5.24, 4.67 and 5.46 Wm−2 °C, respectively. The energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and daily distillate output of the distillation system at lower flow rate have been observed 15%, 28% and 12% higher than at other given flow rate. Experimental uncertainty, efficiency of solar collector and cost analysis of SSD-ADU have also been evaluated.

Feasibility of computer vision as Process Analytical Technology tool for the drying of organic apple slices

Quality of a product and sustainability of its production depend on the cumulative impacts of each processing step in the food chain and their interplay. Various research studies evidenced that many drying systems operate inefficiently in terms of drying time, energy demand (e.g. fossil fuels), raw material utilisation and resulting product quality. Moreover, not all conventional drying processes are allowed in the organic sector (Reg. EC 834/2007; Reg. EC 889/2008). In recent years, non-invasive monitoring and control systems have shown a great potential for improvement of the quality of the resulting products. Thus, there is a need for smart processes which allow for simultaneous multi factorial control to guarantee high-value end products, enhance energy and resource efficiency by using innovative and reliable microcontrollers, sensors and embracing various R&D areas (e.g. computer vision, deep learning, etc.). The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of computer vision (CV) as a tool in development of smart drying technologies to non-destructively forecast changes in moisture content of apple slices during drying. Usage of computer vision (CV) as Process Analytical Technology in drying of apple slices was tested. Samples were subjected to various anti-browning treatments at sub- and atmospheric pressures, and dried at 60°C up to a moisture content on dry basis (MCdb) of 0.18 g/g. CV-based prediction models of changes in moisture content on wet basis (MCwb) were developed and promising results were obtained (R2P > 0.99, RMSEP = 0.011÷0.058 and BIASP < 0.06 in absolute value), regardless of the anti-browning treatment. The proposed methodology lays the foundations for a scale-up smart-drying system based on CV and automation.

Impact of drying temperature and salt pre-treatments on drying behavior and instrumental color and investigations on spectral product monitoring during drying of beef slices

Drying behavior and instrumental color development of beef slices untreated or pretreated with salt or salt and vinegar solutions were monitored by determining the moisture content and the color change by measuring CIELAB values during drying at 50, 60, and 70 °C. Time-series hyperspectral imaging (400–1000 nm) was applied with regard to the development of non-invasive measurement systems based on robust models to predict moisture and color independent of the pre-treatment and drying temperature. Samples pretreated with salt dried the slowest which became more prominent at increasing drying temperatures and the least color change (∆E = 23) was observed at 60 °C drying temperature. Robust prediction models for moisture content and CIELAB values irrespective of pre-treatment and processing conditions were developed successfully and improved by wavelengths selection with high R2 (0.94–0.98) and low RMSEP (1.05–5.22) which will support the future development of simple and cost-effective applications regarding non-invasive product monitoring systems for beef drying processes.

The Potential of Exploiting Economical Solar Dryer in Food Preservation: Storability, Physicochemical Properties, and Antioxidant Capacity of Solar-Dried Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruits.

This study investigated the effect of solar drying on storability and physiochemical and antioxidant capacities of dried tomatoes. Sliced fruit was dried at 45 ± 2 °C for 24 h under a solar tunnel dryer and stored at ambient temperature for 90 and 180 days. Solar drying treatments significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the bacterial and mold load, and eliminated Staphylococcus aureus, S. saprophyticus, and Escherichia coli in all samples. Solar drying treatment reduced the water activity of the dried tomato’s to 0.31 that remained at the same level during storage period 180 days. Storage of dried tomato slices resulted in the decrease of both color and vitamin C content while it increased the total carotenoid, lycopene, phenolic compound content, and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that solar drying of tomato slices enhanced its physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity particularly after storage for 90 and 180 days. Interestingly, the solar drying process enhanced tomato slices storage and physicochemical characteristics, that resulted in extending the shelf life by up to 6 months, indicating the great potential application of low-tech solar in food industry and could become an emerging effective post-harvest preservative method for seasonal perishable vegetable and fruit, particularly in developing countries.

Moisturizing strategy for enhanced convective drying of mushroom slices

Moisturizing strategy that controls the water evaporation rate of the wet material and thus the relative humidity in the drying chamber was proposed for hot air drying of mushroom slices for the first time. To assess the effectiveness of moisturizing strategy, drying kinetics, moisture diffusivities, mass transfer coefficients, surface color and rehydration capacity of dried products, energy and exergy efficiencies were evaluated. Mushroom slices were dried at constant drying temperature of 60 °C and air velocity of 3 m/s. The strategies of moisturizing for 0, 15, 30, and 45 min were applied in the initial drying stage. Compared to the continuous dehumidifying strategy (moisturizing time is 0 min), the strategies of moisturizing for 15 and 30 min reduced drying time by 5% and 15%, respectively. The proper moisturizing time (30 min) enhanced the heat transfer by increasing the enthalpy of the drying air, improved surface color, and increased rehydration capacity of dried mushroom slices by reducing cell shrinkage. The energy utilization and energy utilization ratio of drying process varied from 0.16 to 3.48 kJ/s and 0.065 to 0.572, respectively, while the exergy efficiency varied from 8.04% to 84.66%. The strategy of moisturizing for 30 min reduced 23.4% total energy utilization compared to continuous dehumidifying strategy. Both the highest average energy utilization ratio, i.e. 0.156 and average exergy efficiency, i.e. 70.19% were obtained for moisturizing time of 30 min. The increase of moisturizing time from 30 to 45 min showed an adverse impact on drying time, energy utilization ratio, exergy loss, and exergy efficiency due to the inhibition of water evaporation. This study shows that moisturizing strategy can be considered as a promising method to enhance energy and exergy efficiency of hot air dryer with the improvement of products quality and sustainability of drying systems.

Drying characteristics and quality attributes of apple slices dried by a non-thermal ultrasonic contact drying method

Drying is one of the most prevalent methods to reduce water activity and preserve foods. However, it is also the most energy-intensive food processing unit operation. Although a number of drying methods have been proposed and tested for the purpose of achieving a time- and energy-efficient drying process, almost all current drying methods still rely on thermal energy to remove moisture from the product. In this study, a novel use of power ultrasound was explored for drying of apple slices without the application of heat. The non-thermal ultrasound contact drying (US-CD) was performed in the presence of an air stream (26–40 °C) flowing over product surface to remove mist or vapor produced by the ultrasound treatment. The effects of the non-thermal US-CD, hot-air drying (HAD), and freeze drying (FD) on the changes in rehydration ratio, pH, titratable acidity, water activity, color, glass transition temperature, texture, antioxidant capacity, total phenols, and microstructures of the samples were evaluated. The moisture content of the apple slices reached below 5% (w.b.) after 75–80 min of US-CD, which was about 45% less than that of the HAD method. The antioxidant capacity and total phenol contents of the US-CD samples were significantly higher than that of the AD samples. The non-thermal ultrasonic contact drying is a promising method which has the potential to significantly reduce drying time and improve product quality.

Effect of vacuum drying temperature and pressure on the drying and desorption characteristics, and lovastatin content of the oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus ostreatus ) slices

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vacuum drying conditions on the quality characteristics of oyster mushroom slices. The moisture desorption isotherms and changes in the lovastatin content of samples during drying were also determined. Drying generally took place in both constant and falling rate periods. Page and GAB models with the highest R2 and lowest χ2 and RMSE values were found to satisfactorily describe the drying and desorption behavior of the oyster mushroom slices. An increase in vacuum temperature resulted in a decrease in L and Hue angle, however, the opposite effect was observed for a, b, ΔE, and chroma (p < .05). Lovastatin degradation followed the first-order reaction kinetic and average lovastatin losses were calculated as 69.47%, 73.88%, and 83.98% for 45, 55, and 65°C temperatures and 74.72% and 76.82% for 0.04 and 0.08 MPa absolute pressures, respectively. Practical applications The perishable structure of mushrooms shortens its shelf life and makes postharvest processing methods such as drying, freezing, canning, etc. mandatory. Drying is a common method that is used to extend the shelf life and increase the consumption of oyster mushrooms in the off-seasons. Although the mushrooms are generally dried as a whole or slice, dried mushrooms can be used as ingredients in sauces and instant soups. That is why the drying of mushrooms by an appropriate drying method is essential. The vacuum drying technique generally prefers for oxidizable and temperature-sensitive products. The vacuum drying method has many advantages like low drying temperature, oxygen-free environment, etc. that provides a higher quality product. This study focused on the effect of vacuum drying conditions (temperature and pressure) on the drying kinetics, quality characteristics, moisture desorption isotherms, and changes in the lovastatin content during drying of the oyster mushroom slices.

Optimization and Prediction of the Drying and Quality of Turnip Slices by Convective-Infrared Dryer under Various Pretreatments by RSM and ANFIS Methods

Drying can prolong the shelf life of a product by reducing microbial activities while facilitating its transportation and storage by decreasing the product weight and volume. The quality factors of the drying process are among the important issues in the drying of food and agricultural products. In this study, the effects of several independent variables such as the temperature of the drying air (50, 60, and 70 °C) and the thickness of the samples (2, 4, and 6 mm) were studied on the response variables including the quality indices (color difference and shrinkage) and drying factors (drying time, effective moisture diffusivity coefficient, specific energy consumption (SEC), energy efficiency and dryer efficiency) of the turnip slices dried by a hybrid convective-infrared (HCIR) dryer. Before drying, the samples were treated by three pretreatments: microwave (360 W for 2.5 min), ultrasonic (at 30 °C for 10 min) and blanching (at 90 °C for 2 min). The statistical analyses of the data and optimization of the drying process were achieved by the response surface method (RSM) and the response variables were predicted by the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The results indicated that an increase in the dryer temperature and a decline in the thickness of the sample can enhance the evaporation rate of the samples which will decrease the drying time (40–20 min), SEC (from 168.98 to 21.57 MJ/kg), color difference (from 50.59 to 15.38) and shrinkage (from 67.84% to 24.28%) while increasing the effective moisture diffusivity coefficient (from 1.007 × 10−9 to 8.11 × 10−9 m2/s), energy efficiency (from 0.89% to 15.23%) and dryer efficiency (from 2.11% to 21.2%). Compared to ultrasonic and blanching, microwave pretreatment increased the energy and drying efficiency; while the variations in the color and shrinkage were the lowest in the ultrasonic pretreatment. The optimal condition involved the temperature of 70 °C and sample thickness of 2 mm with the desirability above 0.89. The ANFIS model also managed to predict the response variables with R2 > 0.96.

A high accurate scheme for numerical simulation of two-dimensional mass transfer processes in food engineering

This paper contributes to develop a highly accurate numerical method for solving two-dimensional mass transfer equations during convective air drying of apple slices. The numerical scheme is based on the interpolating the solution of the mentioned equations over the roots of the orthogonal Jacobi polynomials (i.e., the Jacobi-Gauss-Lobatto points) in a nodal form. Moreover, for speeding up the procedure of numerical technique, operational matrices of differentiation are applied to discretize the derivatives of both spatial and temporal variables. After implementing the proposed technique, two-dimensional mass transfer equations would be transferred into the associated systems of linear algebraic equations which can be solved by appropriate iterative solvers such as robust Krylov subspace iterative methods. Some constructed artificial examples are provided to show the efficiency and applicability of the Jacobi pseudo-spectral method for solving two-dimensional mass transfer equations. Finally, a real example is considered and numerical results are validated by the experimental data which confirm the accuracy of the presented numerical approach.

Performance evaluation of hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PVT) solar dryer for drying of cassava

A prototype hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal (PV – T) solar dryer aided with Evacuated Tube Collector (ETC) is presented for drying of cassava slices under the meteorological conditions of Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India. Further the morphological, structural and physical properties of thin layer drying kinetics are studied and compared with natural sun drying. The designed dryer reduces the moisture content of cassava from 91.5% (wb) to 10.67% (wb) which is considered to be a safe level for storage in 8 h. There is a wide scope to save the conventional fuel by adopting the designed solar dryer as the air temperature inside the chamber rise is 30–40 °C than the ambient temperature. Non – linear regression analysis is performed to find out the drying kinetics of cassava using IBM SPSS 23 statistical package. Two - term model is proved to be the most suitable model for predicting thin-layer drying behaviour of cassava slices with R2 = 0.982, χ2 = 0.017553 for hybrid dryer and R2 = 0.998, χ2 = 0.001247 for open sun drying. XRD results exhibit ‘A’ type crystalline pattern that indicates semi–crystalline nature of cassava for both hybrid and sun dried cassava. Structural, morphological and proximate composition analysis reveals that the quality of hybrid dried cassava is better in terms of physical and chemical compositions than sun dried cassava. The proposed hybrid dryer is capable of producing high standard dried products for exporting and can make a good profit.

Experimental investigation and thin-layer modelling of cassava slice drying

This study investigated the effects of drying temperature, slice thickness and slice angle on cassava slice drying and determined suitable thin-layer model with an online weighing fixed bed (Macro-TGA). The experimental results showed that drying temperature and slice thickness were critical factors for cassava slice drying. Based on the experimental data, the activation energy for diffusion was calculated to be 39.37 kJ mol−1, characterizing the drying difficulty of the cassava slice drying. Ten thin-layer drying models, which were semi-theoretical models or empirical, were fitted to the drying data, and the correlation coefficient (R2), Chi-square (χ2), root mean square error and applicability were compared. It was concluded that two-term exponential model described the drying most satisfactorily, with good statistical analysis coefficients and simple functions of model parameters. The model parameters were determined as functions of temperature and slice thickness. Predictions of one case with two-term exponential model were compared with experimental data and the correlation coefficient was 0.99852, indicating good prediction.

Effect of Thin-Layer Drying on the Quality Parameters of Persimmon Slices

ABSTRACT Persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is an important, underutilized fruit crop of India. The thin layer drying of persimmon slices would make it a perfect snack that can be used in various recipes. The drying process of persimmon slices was optimized using Box–Behnken design in response surface methodology. Three categorical independent drying variables, such as temperature (50–70°C), air velocity (0.5–1.5 m/s), and sample thickness (4–8 mm), were considered for the study. The response variables include drying time, ascorbic acid content, browning index, and rehydration ratio were investigated. The air temperature and sample thickness showed a significant effect on drying time. Browning index and rehydration ratio were significantly affected by air temperature and air velocity. As per the given experimental design constraints, the optimum solutions obtained were air temperature (58°C), air velocity (1.40 m/s), and slice thickness (4 mm). The predicted responses for the optimized combination of the drying process were drying time (442.55 min), ascorbic acid (8.61 mg/g dry matter), browning index (0.396 absorbance unit), and rehydration ratio (5.47%). Therefore, this study would be beneficial for scaling up industrial drying of persimmon slices for commercial production to ensure smooth processing and achieve a profitable path.

Three-dimensional morphological changes of potato slices during the drying process

Hot air drying is a common method for drying potato slices. In this paper, the three-dimensional (3D) morphological changes incurred during hot air drying of potato slices were investigated. The effect of drying on the thickness and diameter of potato slices was of special interest. The results showed that the potato slices underwent stages of regular warping, collapse, and curling during the drying process. After classifying the numerical variation in characteristics into the standard deviation in mean height (SDMH) and the rate of change in mean height (RCMH) of potato slices, the RCMH was selected to describe the 3D morphological changes in the potato drying process. A critical point and a termination point for RCMH of potato slices in the drying process were observed. Samples varied widely after the critical point was reached. A logarithmic function model was used to assess differences in the RCMH at the critical point and the termination point. The R-squared (R2) value of 0.9 suggested a strong correlation between the parameters of the experiment and changes in slice thickness and diameter. The model proposed in this paper could accurately characterize the late-stage changes in potato slice qualities during hot air drying of potato slices.

Experimental analysis for drying of potato slices on detachable solar greenhouse dryer

With the outbreak of diseases in the world due to consumption of animal meat, stress is being laid down to be vegan. Vegetarian diet adds to a healthy lifestyle. But the production of crops is seasonal and the food is required on daily basis for the whole population of the world. Also around 15% of the world’s population is undernourished. So, crops need to be preserved. The best way for preservation of crops is removal of moisture content from them. Removal of moisture increases the life of eatables by stopping or reducing the growth of micro-organisms. When required, water can be added to the items for consumption or the food items can be directly fried for consumption without causing any change in its taste. In the present paper, an experimental investigation for drying of potato slices on a detachable greenhouse dryer has been carried out. The dryer has been designed as detachable so that it can be easily carried to any place and can be easily used for household purposes. The readings for weight of the potatoes, solar radiation, temperature of ambient air, relative humidity on hourly basis is taken. It is observed that the drying rate of greenhouse dryer is quite encouraging and the dryer can prove to be a promising one for use in household purposes. The payback period of the dryer has been found out to be 1.5 years which is very less as compared to the life span of the dryer.

Application of immersion pre-treatments and drying temperatures to improve the comprehensive quality of pineapple (Ananas comosus) slices

Drying of pineapple slices combined with different pre-treatments was done to reduce various adverse changes by adding satisfactory value. Process optimization was done by dipping the pineapple slices in four different solutions (1% trehalose, 2% NaCl, 10% sucrose, and 10% fructose) before drying. The effects of different pre-treatments and drying temperatures of 50, 55, and 60 °C with a constant 30% relative humidity (RH) were optimized based on the quality attributes, drying time and microbial load of dried pineapple slices. The optimal drying temperature was 55 °C using 1% trehalose pre-treatments based on the physical and biochemical properties. The reconstituted dried pineapples implied at this condition, contributed to the better structure preservation as indicated by the lower shrinkage (0.21) and the higher Coefficient of Rehydration (0.941), and rehydration ratio (6.840). On the other hand, the retention of color, vitamin C, B vitamins, and antioxidant activity of the samples were decreased by increasing drying time and temperatures. The highest Total Phenolic Content (121.02 mg GAE/100g), Total Flavonoid Content (8.72 mg QE/100g), and DPPH radical scavenging activity (7.22 EC50 g/100g) were found at 60 °C drying temperature with 10% fructose pretreatment's samples. The lowest drying time required was 7.64 h using 2% NaCl pre-treatment at 60 °C, considering the time required to reach 20% moisture content in the dried product at 30% RH. Based on the reported results, it is concluded that 1% trehalose at 50 °C can be used to develop high quality pineapple snacks, which maintained the maximum desired physicochemical and nutritious properties. This study could play an essential role in meeting the emerging demand of developing good quality nutritious dried pineapple snacks.

The Influence of Xanthan and Balangu Seed Gums Coats on the Kinetics of Infrared Drying of Apricot Slices: GA-ANN and ANFIS Modeling

ABSTRACT Polysaccharide-based edible coating can be useful as a pretreatment for drying since it prevents the oxidation of nutritional compounds, thereby improving the quality of dried products. In this study, the effects of polysaccharide coating (xanthan and balangu seed gums) on the drying kinetics of apricot slices were investigated. In addition, genetic algorithm–artificial neural network (GA-ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models were used for prediction of drying time (DT) and moisture content (MC) of coated apricot slices in an infrared (IR) dryer. The GA-ANN and ANFIS were fed with two inputs of IR radiation intensity (150, 250, and 375 W) and the distance of slices from lamp surface (5, 7.5, and 10 cm) for prediction of average DT. Also, to predict the MC, these models were fed with three inputs of IR power, lamp distance, and treatment time. The developed GA-ANN, which included seven hidden neurons, predicted the DT of apricot slices with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.970. Also, the GA-ANN model with nine neurons in one hidden layer predicts the MC with a high r-value (r = 0.999). The calculated r-values for prediction of DT and MC using the ANFIS-based subtractive clustering algorithm were 0.986 and 0.999, respectively, which showed a high correlation between predicted and experimental values. Sensitivity analysis results showed that IR intensity and treatment time were the most sensitive factors for prediction of DT and MC of coated apricot slices, respectively. Both GA-ANN and ANFIS models’ predictions agreed well with testing data sets, and they could be useful for understanding and controlling the factors affecting on drying kinetics of apricot slices in an IR dryer.

Improvements in thermal efficiency of onion slice drying by exhaust air recycling

Drying is an important process that extends the storage life and retains the quality of onion. Unfortunately, convective dyers with poor engineering designs and construction show low thermal effici...

Ultrases Ön İşleminin Elma Dilimlerinin Kurutma ve Rehidrasyon Karakteristikleri ile Mikroyapısına Etkisinin Araştırılması

In this study, the effects of ultrasound pretreatment on hot air drying and rehydration characteristics and microstructure changes of apple slices were examined. Slices of apple cv. Granny Smith having 5 mm thickness were used as the material. Pretreatments with ultrasound application were done by an ultrasonic generator with 20 kHz frequency. Effect of pretreatment time (10, 20, 30 min) and amplitude (55 and 100 %) were evaluated. Drying experiments were performed in a cabinet drier at 60°C with 0.3 m.s-1 constant air velocity. Application of ultrasound pretreatment decreased the drying time of apple slices in some conditions. Amongst the five thin layer drying models tested, the Page and Modified Page models found to be the best fitting models for the expression of the drying of apple slices. Microstructural changes caused by ultrasound pretreatment enhanced the rehydration ability of dried apples. As the pretreatment time and ultrasound amplitude increased, the rehydration ratio had an increasing trend. Peleg model represented the rehydration kinetics of the samples successfully. Changes in the microstructure of the apple samples caused by the ultrasound pretreatment were clearly observed with scanning electron microscopy images. Structural changes, caused by ultrasound pretreatment in apple tissues, resulted in low shrinkage values.

Optimization of processing parameters for drying of tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum L.var) slices using Taguchi technique

The optimization of processing parameters for hot air drying of tomato slices using the Taguchi technique was investigated. The tomato samples were water blanched, ascorbic acid (ASA), and sodium metabisulfite pretreated. Thereafter sliced into 4, 6, and 8 mm thickness and dried at 40, 50, and 60°C air temperatures following Taguchi's experimental plan. The drying rate, effective moisture diffusivity, lycopene, β-carotene, and ASA contents were determined using standard methods. The results showed reductions in drying time as drying temperatures increases. The drying rate curves show the absence of a constant-rate drying rate period in the entire drying process combinations understudied. The Taguchi analysis shows that the optimum processing conditions for the dried qualities varied significantly (p < .05). The drying temperature is the most significant processing parameter controlling the drying time, lycopene, β-carotene, and ASA while the slice thickness had a considerable influence on moisture diffusivity. Practical Applications The processing conditions for drying tomatoes have a significant effect on the nutrient contents of the dried products. However, the quest for healthy dried tomato products by consumers necessitates the simulation and further optimization of the drying conditions to minimize the detrimental qualities changes that occur during the drying process. Taguchi technique, a powerful and efficient method for designing processes that operate consistently and optimally over varieties of conditions is, thus, adopted to established optimum processing conditions that can guarantee high nutrients retentions. These results will provide information valuable to the pilot or industrial scale processors and also served as an operational guide for the tomato fruit drying process.