Mathematical modeling of whey foam mat drying

ABSTRACT This study aimed to fit mathematical models to whey foam drying processes in different air temperature conditions, to determine the effective diffusion coefficient and to obtain the activation energy. For foam formation, 5.0% Emustab® was added to the serum in mass and subjected to stirring in a domestic shaker for 15 min. After, it was spread onto trays to form a thin layer of about 1 cm in which the drying conditions were: 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 °C, 5.6 m s-1 and 60%. The Logarithm and Midilli models describe the kinetics of serum foam drying; the effective diffusion coefficient increased with the elevation of drying temperature and activation energy of 50.84 kJ mol-1.