ABSTRACT: Drying of thin layer tomato was studied using a solar tunnel dryer under the ecological conditions of Isparta, Turkey. During drying process, solar irradiation, drying air temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity were measured constantly in different parts of the dryer. Drying runs were performed using plum tomatoes, characterized by an oval shape, intense red color. The change of tomatoes mass was measured daily. The color measurements of dried products were determined at the beginning and end of experiment. In this study, the fresh tomato samples were sorted, graded, washed in water and then sliced into quarters and halves before pretreated. Sun drying behavior of half and quarter sliced tomatoes pretreated with 10% NaCl solution and... |