Drying Kinetics of <i>Leucaena esculenta</i> Seeds Using a Solar Dryer

The drying kinetics and physical and chemical characteristics of <i>Leucaena esculenta</i> seed drying using a forced convection solar dryer are described. The drying kinetics behavior is examined for three experiments under climate conditions of three different winter days in central Mexico, observing significant effects related to the reported pH levels of the seeds with values of 6.34, 5.98, 5.97, 5.82, and 6.07. The airflow measurements inside the drying chamber were observed, including the geometric dimensions, color, appearance, weight, and moisture loss, and the effective diffusivity coefficient <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mfenced separators="|"><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>D</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>e</mi><mi>f</mi><mi>f</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></mfenced></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> of <i>Leucaena esculenta</i> with values between 1.23 × 10⁻⁷ and 8.09 × 10⁻⁹ <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mstyle scriptlevel="0" displaystyle="true"><mfrac><mrow><msup><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">s</mi></mrow></mfrac></mstyle></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. Solar drying, with the technology used in this study, is a viable alternative to give added value to <i>Leucaena esculenta</i>. This study can be the basis for developing alternatives to preserve seeds for animal and human consumption.