The goal of this study is to determine a theoretical model to define tomato drying curves. For this, a mathematical model based on the conservation of heat and mass is used. Heat and matterdiffusion equations have been developed and used in the COMSOL computation code. The theoretical model is validated by experimental measurements. The experimental data are obtained in a tunnel dryer with values of 0.1m/s, 0.25m/s and 0.5m/s for the drying air velocity and 50°C; 60°C for air temperatures. The theoretical simulations have shown that the temperature of the fruit gradually increases to the drying temperature of the air. The results also show that increasing the temperature and speed of the air reduces the drying time. The comparison of theoretical and experimental drying kinetics shows a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 8%. The theoretical model developed can therefore be used to predict drying kinetics of tomato.
