Mathematical Modelling, Drying Kinetics, and Moisture Diffusion Behaviour of Leek Leaves (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) during Hot-Air Oven Drying
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12928/jafost.v7i3.16023Keywords:
Activation energy, Drying kinetics, Effective moisture diffusivity, Mathematical modelling, Water removalAbstract
This study investigated the drying kinetics, mathematical modelling, and moisture diffusion behaviour of leek leaves (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum) during hot-air oven drying at 45, 55, and 65 °C. The study aimed to identify the most suitable thin-layer drying model and determine the effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy of leek leaves. Drying occurred entirely in the falling-rate period, which indicates that internal diffusion controlled moisture removal. Among the evaluated models, the cubic model gave the best fit at 45 °C, with an R² of 98.96%, root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.053, and sum of squared errors (SSE) of 0.0593. The Wang and Singh model gave the best fit at 55 °C and 65 °C, with R² values of 92.26% and 93.17%, RMSE values of 0.078 and 0.102, and SSE values of 0.0874 and 0.1140, respectively. Effective moisture diffusivity increased from 9.13 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s at 45 °C to 31.69 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s at 55 °C and 43.36 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s at 65 °C. The activation energy reached 70.08 kJ/mol, showing the temperature sensitivity of moisture migration in leek tissue. These findings provide useful kinetic parameters for selecting drying conditions and improving predictive modelling in small-scale and industrial leek drying processes. This study contributes part-specific drying data for the green leaf portion of leek, which remains less represented than whole-slice and pseudo-stem drying data.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Satria Bhirawa Anoraga, Nadia Awalina Bunga Massita, Chyntia Diva Omega, Octhateani Adiibah Wigati, Sang Norma Lintang Asmara, Jhauharotul Muchlisyiyah, Jamilu Suleiman
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