The thin layer drying kinetics of pumpkin slices (Cucurbita moschata) were experimentally
investigated in a convective hot air dryer. In order to select the appropriate model for predicting
the drying kinetics of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), twelve thin layer semi theoretical,
theoretical and empirical models, widely used in describing the drying behaviour of agricultural
products were fitted to the experimental data. The Page and Two term exponential models
showed the best fit under certain drying conditions. The Hii et al. (2009) model, which was
adopted from a combination of the Page and Two term models was compared to the other 11
selected thin layer models based on the coefficient of determination (R2
) and sum of squares
error (SSE). Comparison was made between the experimental and model predicted moisture
ratio by non-linear regression analysis. Furthermore, the effect of drying temperature and slice
thickness on the best model constants was evaluated. Consequently, the Hii et al. (2009) model
showed an excellent fit with the experimental data (R2 > 0.99 and SSE < 0.012) for the drying
temperatures of 50, 60, 70 and 80 °C and at different sample thicknesses of 3 mm, 5 mm and
7 mm respectively. Thus, the Hii et al. (2009) model can adequately predict the drying kinetics
of pumpkin.