Foam mat drying kinetics of mangaba pulp

The mangaba is a tropical fruit native from Brazil, with peculiar flavor, consumed mainly in juice and pulp. In these forms, to make possible a commercial exploration of larger load and geographical inclusion, demands the expensive structure of cold chain. As alternative, is had the processing involving drying process, that extend the useful life, necessary for logistics and shelf-life, through the reduction of the water activity. The foam-mat drying advantageous among other processes as spray-drying and lyophilization (freeze-drying), for the low investment in equipments, requesting simple cameras with heating capacity at temperatures below 100 degrees C. In this work, it was studied the foam-mat drying of mangaba pulp at 50, 60 e 70 degrees C. The samples, added of emulsifier and thicker, were distributed in 0.3cm layers of thickness and dried in oven with forced air circulation. The data of drying were fitted using Page, Henderson & Pabis and Cavalcanti Mata models, obtaining good fittings with all equations.