Drying kinetics of cupuaçu almonds cultivated in Eastern Amazon ; Cinética de secado de las almendras de cupuazú cultivadas en la Amazonía Oriental ; Cinética de secagem das amêndoas de cupuaçu cultivadas na Amazônia Oriental

In Brazil, cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum Schum.) is one of the most important tropical fruits in the Amazon region. The state of Pará is the main producer in the Northern Region, with a production of 29 thousand tons. However, cupuaçu seeds go through several stages before storage, with drying being the most crucial. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the drying kinetics, initial and final moisture content, drying rate, as well as fit mathematical models to experimental data to indicate the optimal temperature as a function of drying time in a prototype of a vertical fixed-bed drying silo with forced induced air, subjected to temperatures of 55°C, 65°C, and 75°C. To determine the drying kinetics, the almonds were periodically weighed until reaching equilibrium to measure the water loss. Based on the experimental drying data, moisture ratio values were determined and subsequently applied to different mathematical models. The average initial moisture content of the seeds for all temperatures was greater than 50%, while the final averages for temperatures of 55°C, 65°C, and 75°C were sequentially 13.8%, 7.25%, and 6.51%. The drying rates were 3.1%, 3.4%, and 3.8%, respectively. The modified Henderson and Pabis model provided the best fit to the experimental data. All temperatures were effective concerning the drying time. The dried almonds can be used in food manufacturing. ; En Brasil, el cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum Schum.) es una de las frutas tropicales más importantes en la región amazónica. El estado de Pará es el principal productor en la Región Norte, con una producción de 29 mil toneladas. Sin embargo, las almendras de cupuaçu atraviesan varias etapas antes del almacenamiento, siendo el secado la más importante. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la cinética de secado, el contenido de agua inicial y final, la tasa de secado, así como ajustar modelos matemáticos a los datos experimentales, para indicar la mejor temperatura en función del tiempo de secado en un ...