Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din Iași Secția Chimie și Inginerie Chimică ISSN: 2537-2947
ISSN-L: 0254-7104
2026, Volume 72(76), Issue 1 (March), pp. 9 - 19
Studies On the Drying Kinetics of Celery Purée Under Controlled
Temperature Conditions Using a Halogen Moisture Analyzer
LAURENȚIU-CONSTANTIN MIHĂILĂ, “Gheorghe Asachi”
Technical University of Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical
Engineering and Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania
ANNAMARIA TALPALARU, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of
Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and
Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania BEATRICE IOANA IACOB,
“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu”
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania
CATALIN LISA, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of
Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu” Faculty of Chemical Engineering and
Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania GABRIELA LISA,
“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, “Cristofor Simionescu”
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection, Iași, Romania,
gabriela.lisa@academic.tuiasi.ro
Abstract This study investigates the drying kinetics of celery purée
(Apium graveolens L.) using a halogen moisture analyzer at isothermal
temperatures ranging from 50 to 105°C. Thermogravimetric analysis
(TG/DTG/DTA) revealed an initial moisture content of 88.67% and
characteristic thermal degradation of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin.
Thin-layer drying curves were obtained, and effective moisture diffusion
coefficients increased with temperature, ranging from 4.083·10-10 to
20.511·10-10 m2/s. Activation energy for moisture diffusion, calculated
using the Arrhenius equation, was 30.18 kJ/mol, comparable to literature
values reported for celery slices. Results indicate similar moisture
diffusion mechanisms despite structural differences between purée and intact
plant tissues. The study provides valuable experimental data for optimizing
drying processes, reducing energy consumption, and producing high-quality
dehydrated vegetable products with potential industrial applications.
Keywords: celery purée, drying kinetics, halogen moisture analyzer,
effective moisture diffusion, activation energy