An experimental study of mints solar drying systems

Abstract

Many research studies have been performed on forced convection (active) solar dryers for fruit, vegetables and plants. A short survey of these showed that applying the forced convection solar dryer not only significantly reduced the drying time but also resulted in many improvements in the quality of the dried products. The objective of this study was to investigate the drying kinetics of mint was dried using solar dryer. Air temperatures of 40 to 60°C were used for the drying experiments. The key parameters for suitable drying are temperature, humidity and flow rate levels. These parameters determine the moisture removal rates which are important to evaluate the appropriate drying duration for a particular food product