EFFECT OF DRYING KINETICS ON COLOR OF “DEDO DE MOÇA” CHILI PEPPERS (Capsicum baccatum)

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the drying kinetics of red and yellow chili peppers, “dedo-de-moça” variety, at different temperatures (35, 45, 55, and 70 °C) and model this phenomenon mathematically. We also evaluated the effect of these drying air temperatures on pepper fruit color. Pepper fruits were dried in a forced-air circulation dryer. Ten mathematical models were fitted to the experimental data by nonlinear regression analysis. After drying, pepper samples were analyzed for the following colorimetric parameters: lightness (L*), chroma or saturation (c), and hue angle (h), in...