Tagetes erecta L. flowers are used in medicine with therapeutic role, in food industry as natural pigments source (carotenoids, flavones etc.) or in aviculture sector as feed pigment. The main objective of this research was to investigate the influence of different dehydration process conditions on the sensorial characteristics of yellow and orange Tagetes erecta L. flowers. The drying process was performed using a tray drying equipment under the following conditions: constant air velocity (0.55 m/s), 40, 50 and 60°C suited to relative humidity (RH) values of 28.0, 27.5 and 28.5% respectively. Mathematical modeling of drying process, effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy calculations were estimated using Arrhenius equations . The effective moisture diffusivity was between (1,3– 5,19)·10-12 m2·s-1 for yellow flowers and (1.02 – 2.71)·10-12 m2·s-1 for orange samples. The activation energy value was with 35.57% much higher for yellow samples comparative to the orange Tagetes erecta L. flowers.
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