Drying Curves and Colour Changes of Cassia Alata Leaves at Different Temperatures

• Main Authors: Abdul Razak Norawanis, Shaari Abdul Razak, Jolkili Maizura, Leng Lee Yit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2016-01-01
• Series: MATEC Web of Conferences
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20167801020

Cassia alata plant has been commonly used as medicinal herbs for treating fungal infection such as ringworm and eczema. Nevertheless, a few studies on drying characteristics have focused on C. alata. This work aims to investigate the drying characteristics of C. alata leaves at different temperatures. Moreover, the effects of different drying temperatures on colour qualities of C. alata leaves had been determined. The leaves were dried at different temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 °C) using a laboratory oven. Dried and fresh leaves were analyzed for the moisture content and colour analysis. The EMC of C. alata leaves decreased from 0.30 to 0.10 g water/dry matter as the temperature increased from 40 °C to 90 °C. The colour qualities of C. alata leaves were lower with increasing drying temperature.