Experimental Approach for Drying Saffron of Taliouine–Morocco

Abstract

Saffron is a spice extracted from the flower of Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae), after drying its three red stigmas. It has a wide application in the culinary, medicinal and cosmetic. Our work aims to optimize a solar dryer for saffron, by the experimental determination of the characteristic drying curves of saffron irrigated by drip by drip system in Taliouine. The kinetics of drying is studied for three temperatures (35 °C, 40 °C, 45 °C and 50 °C). The drying rate is determined empirically from the drying curve. Six mathematical models have been used for the description of the drying curve. The mathematical model of Middili-Kucuk seems most appropriate to describe the saffron drying curve with correlation coefficient r2 of 0.9983 and standard error 0.0061.