Influence of Drying Conditions on the Final Quality of Cherry and Grape Tomatoes

ABSTRACT The convective drying process of cherry and grape tomatoes for dried tomato production was studied taking into account operational and sensorial aspects. The tomatoes were physicochemical characterized and dried at three air temperatures in a drying chamber. Thus, it was possible to the determinate the physicochemical characteristics, drying kinetics, thickness shrinkage, effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy. The effects of tomato type (cherry and grape), air temperature (60°C and 80°C), and final moisture (25% and 35% w.b.) were sensory evaluated utilizing a factori...