The aim of this study was to determine experimentally the apparent thermal diffusivity caja seeds, evaluating the effect of variation of water content and temperature and adjust different mathematical models to experimental values. Seeds with the range of water content from 6.05 to 61.84% (wb) subjected to drying at a temperature of 40 ºC were studied. The reduction of water content during drying was monitored by gravimetric method (weight loss). The apparent thermal diffusivity of caja seed was determined by the method of Dickerson. It was concluded that the apparent thermal diffusivity in temperature above freezing and ultralow temperatures as a function of water content (wb), can be satisfactorily represented by a linear regression model and that value of the apparent thermal diffusivity increases exponentially with increasing temperature.
Spondias lutea; thermophisical property; moisture content; mathematical model