EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ANNATTO SEEDS (Bixa orellana L.) DRYING IN FIXED BED

摘要

The quantification of the influences of the inlet variables of the drying process ofrnannatto seeds (Bixa orellana L.), in the final moisture and bixin contents and the identificationrnof the optimal point for the process was accomplished by response surfaces methodology. Itrnwas verified that the final moisture content of the seeds can be estimated by a second orderrnpolynomial model as a function of the air temperature and mass flow rate and of the dryingrntime; and that the final bixin content is significantly influenced only by the process time,rnbeing described appropriately by a linear model.