CINÉTICA DE SECAGEM DE FOLHAS DE CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR

Abstract

The sugarcane leaf stands out among medicinal plants, being used in the treatment of high cholesterol, sexual dysfunctions, uterine inflammations, fever and colds, urinary tract infections and diabetes. Drying and storage are key steps among the post-harvest processes to obtain quality products, which are the basis for the manufacture of herbal medicines. That said, the objective of this work was to evaluate the drying kinetics of sugarcane leaves, submitted to different drying air temperatures. The work was developed at the Goiano Federal Institute, Campus Ceres. The water content of the leaves was determined by the oven method, then the drying was done with controlled air temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 ºC in a forced-air chamber. The kinetics of drying of the leaves presented a direct function with the air temperature, and the higher the drying air temperature the lower the time spent. Among the mathematical models tested, the Midilli model presented the best fit to the experimental data for the drying of the sugarcane leaves. The increase in temperature reduced the time required for drying the product. The effective diffusion coefficient increases with increasing drying air temperature.