| ABSTRACT Dehydration of plant products extends its shelf life and reduces its mass and volume, which increases transport and storage efficiency and adds value to food. However, it is an intensive process in energy and time, making necessary the search for more efficient technologies, Thus, this study aimed to investigate the infrared ginger dehydration process by approaching the constant period of dehydration to the theory of mass and heat transfer process to the wet bulb thermometer and the decreasing period of dehydration to liquid diffusion theory. We submitted 5.0 mm thickness and 2.0 cm diameter slices to a dryer with infrared radiation at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 °C until constant mass. Heat and mass transfer coefficients, and effective diffusion... |
