DESIDRA TAÇÃO DA POLP A DE TAMARINDO PELO MÉTODO DE CAMADA DE ESPUMA 1

The foam-mat drying process was studied for the tamarind pulp at 50, 60, 70 and 80°C and the temperature effect on the tamarind powder were evaluated as regards to ascorbic acid content, total titratable acidity and colour, expressed by luminosity (L*) and hue (h°). For the representation of the drying process three models for thin-layer were applied and the criterion of evaluation used were the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and root mean square error (DQM). According to the results the temperature is a determinant parameter in the drying process, and the Midilli and Kucuk model was the best one to represent the behavior of the drying curves. The best results for ascorbic acid content, titritable acidity and colour were obtained at the temperatures of 60 and 70 °C.