Modelling the Drying Properties of Tomato in a Hot-Air Dryer Using Hybrid ANN-GA Technique

Background and Objective: Drying, a simultaneous heat and mass transfer method, is an essential process to reduce post-harvest losses of tomatoes. Thus, knowledge about the drying properties of tomatoes is necessary for designing and optimizing the drying systems. The study, therefore, investigated the modelling of the drying properties of tomatoes in a hot-air oven using the hybrid ANN-GA technique. Materials and Methods: The tomatoes were pretreated in water blanching (WAB), ascorbic acid (ASA) and sodium metabisulphite (SMB).