The present study aims to perform combined osmoconvective and convective drying processes on banana peel and evaluate the influence of these processes on their physical and physical-chemical properties. A factorial planning of 22 + 3 central points was carried out to evaluate the effect of the input variables: sucrose concentration varying between 40 and 60 °Brix and temperature between 40 and 60 °C, on the response variables: loss of water and mass and gain of solids in the banana peels. The drying kinetics was performed at 60 °C and empirical mathematical models were adjusted to the experimental data. The fresh peels, osmotically dehydrated, after drying process (in the optimized condition) and during 30 days of storage were characterized as for the parameters: pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), total soluble solids (TSS), TSS / TTA ratio, water content and total solids, ash, ascorbic acid, reducing sugars, color (L *, a * and b *) and water activity (Aw). The banana peels used in the experiments had a high water content and reasonable amounts of carbohydrates and ashes. The condition that showed the greatest reduction in water content and greatest gains in solids was using the temperature of 60 ° C and 60 ° Brix, being considered the optimized. The osmoconvective dehydration process resulted in a greater incorporation of total soluble solids and higher percentages of total solids in the shells. Page's mathematical model was the one that best fitted the experimental data; the effective diffusivity of the process was 2.2 x 10-8 m2.s-1. And the physical and physical-chemical parameters analyzed during the storage had small changes during the period of 30 days of storage.

The present study aims to perform osmoconvective dehydration of banana peels and to evaluate the influence of the variables (sucrose concentration and temperature) on the process. Fresh and dehydrated peels (optimized condition) were characterized according to the parameters: pH, total titratable acidity (ATT), total soluble solids (SST), SST/ATT ratio, water and total solids content, ashes, ascorbic acid, sugars. reducers, color (L*, a* and b*) and water activity (Aw). A 22 + 3 central point factorial design was performed to evaluate the effect of the input variables: sucrose concentration ranging from 40 to 60 °Brix and temperature from 40 to 60 °C on the response variables: water and mass loss, and solids gain in banana peels. The banana peels used in the experiments presented high water content and reasonable amounts of carbohydrates and ashes. The condition that presented the greatest reduction in water content and higher solids gains was using the temperature of 60 °C and 60 °Brix, being considered the optimized one. The osmoconvective dehydration process caused a greater incorporation of total soluble solids and higher percentages of total solids in the shells.