EFFECT OF THE DRYING METHOD ON THE QUALITY AND DRYING CHARACTERISTIC OF MINT LEAVES (Mentha spicata L.)

Mint leaves are vegetables used for tea especially in the northern part of Nigerian because their nutritional and medicinal values. Fresh mint perishable to extend shelf-life drying is a common practice among people. The application proper method essential preserve its Lack information on characteristic that could be design dryers major bottleneck processing. This accounts poor colour, taste, flavour dried found market.In this study, three methods were dry leaves, sun, oven shade methods. Proximate analyses carried out samples with Samples characteristics investigated using an at 40, 50, 60 70 °C. results show significantly affected all proximate compositions 5% level. Shade has highest crude protein ash contents 7.74% 8.48% respectively. Carbohydrates more (30.13%) when open sun was employed. Oven favoured lowest moisture content 7.20%, fiber 49.34% fat 9.22%. To equilibrium content, it took 140 min temperature 40 °C, 120 50 90 °C Drying occurred falling rate period.