variavel0=<b>Laerte Araújo Lima</b> - laerte@dem.ufpb.br Universidade Federal da Paraíba
<b>Celso R. B. Filho</b> - celso@dem.ufpb.br Universidade Federal da Paraíba
<b>Abstract.</b> The objective of this paper is to verify the bester mathematical model to describe the drying kinetics of slices of red guavas (Psidium guajava), type Paloma. The models analyzed for drying of the guava in thin layers and found in the literature are Newton, Page, Modified Page, Henderson and Pabis, Logaritmic(Thompson), Two Terms, Two Terms Exponential and Wang and Singh. The identification of the models parameters cited above was made using the experimental results of guava drying above, published by Alsina et al. (1999), that obtained drying curves for fine slices with initial moisture contend around 4,75 kg/kg (dry base). The slices have a mean diameter of 6,0 cm, thickness of 0,5 and 1,0 cm. The tests are realized for a air velocity of 0,8 m/s and temperatures of 40°C, 50°C, 60°C and 70°C. The analysis of the results shows that the model of Two Terms Exponential predicted better fit to describe the drying kinetics of the guava, because it presented the smallest residue in the least square technique.
<b>Keywords.</b> Drying, Mathematical Models, Drying Kinetics.