Given the necessity of developing jatropha cultivation equipment, this work adjusted different mathematical models to experimental data obtained from the drying of jatropha seeds submitted to different drying conditions and selected the best model to describe the drying process. The experiment was carried out at the Federal Institute of Goiás - Rio Verde Campus. Seeds with initial moisture content of approximately 0.50 (kg water/kg dry matter) were dried in a forced air-ventilated oven, at temperatures of 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105°C to moisture content of 0.10 ± 0.005 (kg water/kg dry matter). The experimental data were adjusted to 11 mathematical models to represent the drying process of agricultural products. The models were compared using the coefficient of determination, chi-square test, relative mean error, estimated mean error and residual distribution. It was found that the increase in the air temperature caused a reduction in the drying time of seeds. The models Midilli and Two Terms were suitable to represent the drying process of Jatropha seeds and between them the use of the Midili model is recommended due to its greater simplicity.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between a group of physiological variables (electrical conductivity, potassium leaching, and germination percentage) and a group of drying kinetics variables (drying time and drying rate) in addition to verifying the relation between drying kinetics variables and coffee quality as a function of processing type, temperature, and drying airflow. Coffee drying was conducted in a fixed-layer dryer at two temperatures and two airflows. After drying, an evaluation of the physiological and sensorial quality was conducted. Based on the results obtained, the following conclusions were drawn: coffee that is processed via a dry method is more sensitive to mechanical drying with heated air than coffee processed via a wet method, resulting in poor physiological performance; airflow does not interfere with the physiological quality of pulped and natural coffees; a temperature increase from 40 to 45°C resulted in a decrease in the physiological quality only for pulped coffee; and an increase in the drying rate as a result of an increase in the drying temperature to 40°C had a negative effect on the sensorial quality of pulped coffee.

Determination of the volumetric shrinkage in jatropha seeds during drying - doi: 10.4025/actasciagron.v34i3.14402

QUALITY OF NATURAL COFFEE DRIED UNDER DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES AND DRYING RATES

The aim of this study was to determine the effective diffusion coefficient and the thermodynamic properties of Bauhinia forficata Link leaves, considering two forms of thickness measurements and to describe the process by fitting mathematical models. The leaves were collected, taken to the laboratory and prepared to start the drying process in which four temperatures (40, 50, 60 and 70 °C) were applied. After the drying process, the effective diffusion coefficient was determined through the theory of diffusion in liquid, allowing to obtain the values of the activation energy, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy. The description of the drying process was performed by setting the thirteen mathematical models used to represent constant drying of agricultural products. The Valcam model was selected to represent the drying kinetics B. forficata Link. Increased temperature promotes: decreasing enthalpy and entropy; increasing Gibbs free energy and effective diffusion coefficient. The effective diffusion coefficient is higher when the rib thickness is considered; thus, it is recommended to standardize and/or specify the points of measurement of leaf thickness.