ABSTRACT
Drying is probably the oldest and most important method of vegetable preservation to prevent deterioration of quality, as it considerably decreases the water activity of the material, reduces the microbiological activity, and minimizes the physical and chemical changes during storage (Mayor and Sereno, 2004). The main advantage of this process is the reduction in weight and volume, which results in decreased packing, storage, and transportation costs and increased storability at room temperature (Mujumdar, 1995). During dehydration of vegetables, chemical (browning and other reactions) and physical (color, texture, shape, porosity, etc.) modications take place at the same time owing to heating and loss of water. These modications are the most important parameters in evaluating the drying quality of the nal dried product, which can be evaluated by many different methods and techniques.
