Abstract
In this study, the effect of drying in the oven at different temperatures (60, 70, 80 °C) and in the microwave oven at different microwave power levels (180, 300, 450 Watt) on the drying characteristics and some physicochemical properties of hibiscus calyx grown and harvested in Antalya conditions was investigated. Thirteen different mathematical models were used to describe the drying kinetics. The Midilli and others model exhibited best fit to drying data of hibiscus calyx (R2 ≥ 0.9983; χ2 ≤ 0.5156; RMSE ≤ 0.0193). It was determined that the drying process carried out in the microwave oven shortened the drying time approximately 10 times compared to the drying process carried out in the oven. Besides, no significant differences were observed in the quality characteristics of the dried samples such as pH, conductivity, color, turbidity, anthocyanin, and phenolic contents.