| Abstract: | Drying of Coffea arabica cherry was carried out in a thin layer dryer at air temperatures of 40, 50, 60 and 70°C at bed depths of 50, 62.5 and 75mm with air flow rates of 1.5 and 2m3/m2/ min. Since the coffee cherry consis ts of skin and bean, a two layer drying model was developed to characterize the overall drying process for relative humidity range of 46 to 83 per cent. The diffusion coeffcient was determined using drying and equilibrium data and expressed as an Arrhenius- type function. The study revealed that the qualityof the coffee was unaltered over the temperature range studied. |
