Microwave drying kinetics of olive fruit (Olea europeae L.)

Abstract The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microwave power density on drying kinetics of olive fruit (variety Zarrazi).The thin layer drying characteristics of olive fruit (variety Zarrazi) was investigated under three microwave power densities; 1, 1.5 and 2 W/g. The experimental data were fitted appropriately to Page model. The effective moisture diffusivity was calculated in the range from 5.96×10 -9 to 13.00×10 -9 m 2 /s. The values of k and D eff increased with the increase of power density. An Arrhenius relation with an activation energy value of 1.6316 W/g expressed the effect of microwave power density on the diffusivity