Date fruit as a high calorie and valuable food source can be one of the main Iranian agricultural commodities for export, if properly processed and packed. The aim of this study was to process Kabkaab date variety from Routab (high moisture dates) to Tamar (known as dates or dry dates) using an industrial cabinet dryer. The Routab samples were dried using hot air at 56, 66, 76, 86 and 96 ˚C and changes in weight, moisture, pH, colour, texture and density of the dried samples were monitored. The results indicated that at 56 and 66 ˚C, drying rate was too low to be economic for an industrial process. At 86 and 96 ˚C the drying rate was high, although quality factors like colour was not acceptable. Therefore 76 ˚C is recommended as the best temperature for drying dates fruit. Moisture range of 24-27% (db) was the critical moisture level where a sharp decrease was observed in drying rate. Textural experiments of dates fruits with a wide range of moisture contents showed that above 30% moisture the hardness does not change with moisture level however, below 30% a small change in moisture can have a considerable impact on texture.

Keywords: Routab, Kabkaab varieties, Cabinet drier, Drying rate, Critical moisture, Texture.

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