# Effect of Tomato Juice and Different Drying Methods on Selected Properties of Courgette
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Drying Kinetics  
Based on the data presented in Table 2, it was concluded that the best model for the kinetics process is the logistic model. The results indicated that this model, characterized by particularly high values of the coefficient of determination R\({}^{2}\) (between 0.9991 and 0.9999), low root mean square error (RMSE in the range of 0.0032-0.0102), minimum chi-square test values (\(x^{2}\) 0.0000 to 0.0001), and relatively low residual variability (Ve in the range of 0.9-3.4%), effectively describes the drying dynamics of the courgette slices. These observations confirm the suitability of the logistic model for analyzing drying kinetics, suggesting that it can be a useful tool in optimizing drying processes for this type of vegetable. The results for the logistic model showed that increasing the temperature to 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C results in a decrease in the values of the a and b coefficients for the courgette, while the value of the k coefficient, which is an indicator of the drying rate, increases. With a further increase in temperature to 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C, an increase in the values of all three parameters was observed, especially for courgettes after the VI process. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Method**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Material**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Model Parameters**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Statistical Parameters**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Drying**} \\ \cline{3-8}  & & **k** & **a** & **b** & **RMSE** & **Ve [\%]** & **R2** & \(\chi^{2}\) & **Time [min]** \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{Pagea Model} \\ CD50 & C & 0.0128 & 1.1625 & 0 & 0.0098 & 0.0269 & 0.9992 & 0.0001 & 240 \\ CD50 & CT & 0.014 & 1.1391 & 0 & 0.0061 & 0.0168 & 0.9997 & 0.0000 & 210 \\ CD60 & C & 0.0166 & 1.1483 & 0 & 0.0073 & 0.0214 & 0.9996 & 0.0001 & 180 \\ CD70 & CT & 0.0154 & 1.1847 & 0 & 0.0117 & 0.0331 & 0.9989 & 0.0002 & 150 \\ CD70 & C & 0.0198 & 1.1491 & 0 & 0.0115 & 0.035 & 0.9989 & 0.0002 & 150 \\ CD70 & CT & 0.0245 & 1.1532 & 0 & 0.0129 & 0.0422 & 0.9986 & 0.0002 & 130 \\ \multicolumn{8}{c}{Henderson and Pabis Model} \\ CD50 & C & 0.0235 & 0 & 0 & 0.027 & 0.0743 & 0.9972 & 0.0009 & 240 \\ CD50 & CT & 0.0236 & 0 & 0 & 0.0226 & 0.062 & 0.9981 & 0.0006 & 210 \\ CD60 & C & 0.0282 & 0 & 0 & 0.0239 & 0.0694 & 0.9978 & 0.0007 & 180 \\ CD60 & CT & 0.0296 & 0 & 0 & 0.0306 & 0.0869 & 0.9964 & 0.0012 & 150 \\ CD70 & C & 0.0331 & 0 & 0 & 0.0251 & 0.0766 & 0.9971 & 0.0008 & 150 \\ CD70 & CT & 0.0404 & 0 & 0 & 0.0255 & 0.0837 & 0.9969 & 0.0008 & 130 \\ \multicolumn{8}{c}{Newton Model} \\ CD50 & C & 0.0246 & 1.0369 & 0 & 0.0232 & 0.0637 & 0.9961 & 0.0007 & 240 \\ CD60 & CT & 0.0246 & 1.0329 & 0 & 0.0188 & 0.0518 & 0.9973 & 0.0004 & 210 \\ CD60 & C & 0.0293 & 1.0333 & 0 & 0.0205 & 0.0596 & 0.997 & 0.0005 & 180 \\ CD70 & CT & 0.031 & 1.0393 & 0 & 0.0269 & 0.0762 & 0.9949 & 0.0009 & 150 \\ CD70 & C & 0.0342 & 1.029 & 0 & 0.0228 & 0.0696 & 0.9962 & 0.0007 & 150 \\ \multicolumn{8}{c}{Logarithmic Model} \\ CD50 & CT & 0.0223 & 1.1407 & 0 & 0.0236 & 0.0649 & 0.9956 & 0.0006 & 240 \\ CD50 & CT & 0.0223 & 1.1364 & 0 & 0.0193 & 0.053 & 0.9969 & 0.0004 & 210 \\ CD60 & C & 0.0268 & 1.1625 & 0 & 0.0202 & 0.0588 & 0.9967 & 0.0004 & 1 In the analyzed process of convection drying of courgettes, it was noted that increasing the temperature from 50 \({}^{\circ}\)C to 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C led to a gradual decrease in drying time. This trend was evident for all variants of the samples, with a clear acceleration in the drying process at higher temperatures, a phenomenon typical of thermal processes. Similar observations were noted by the authors of this publication in earlier studies of courgettes [14] and celery [15]. Vacuum impregnation with tomato juice reduced drying time for samples dried at 50, 60, and 70 \({}^{\circ}\)C, indicating the positive effect of pretreatment on the drying process.