Analysis of moisture content and drying kinetics model for drying of Cananga odorata flowers

• Page model best describes Cananga odorata drying kinetics (R 2 = 0.9970). • Oven drying at 50 °C follows a predictable moisture reduction pattern. • Drying follows rapid initial moisture loss, then slower diffusion phase. • Statistical analysis confirms Page model's superior fit over Lewis and Henderson & Pabis models. • Error analysis (X 2 , SSE, RMSE, MSE) validates the Page model's accuracy in drying kinetics. The inefficient drying process of Cananga odorata flowers leads to significant quality degradation and energy consumption. This study investigates the drying kinetics of Cananga odorata using oven-assisted drying at 50 °C, aiming to identify the most suitable kinetic model for optimizing the process. Moisture content, moisture ratio, and drying rate were analyzed, and three models—Lewis, Page, and Henderson & Pabis—were evaluated using statistical parameters (R 2 , SSE, RMSE, MSE, and X 2 ). The results showed that the Page model provided the best fit (R 2 = 0.9970, SSE = 0.0039, RMSE = 0.0180), accurately describing the drying behavior. The drying process exhibited an initial rapid moisture loss phase followed by a slower drying period. These findings offer critical insights into optimizing Cananga odorata drying processes for industrial applications.