Abstract:In order to improving the drying property and quality of non - fried extruded potato instant noodles, the drying characteristics of non-fried extruded instant noodles with diametral of 0.7 mm, 1mm and 1.2 mm under the conditions of 40 ℃, 50 ℃, 60 ℃ and 70 ℃ were studied respectively. On this basis, an optimal drying kinetic model was established. The result showed that the drying stage of instant noodles mainly belonged to the speed reduction stage, and the noodle diameter and drying temperature had a great influence on its characteristics. Page model can express and predict the variation of moisture ratio (MR) with drying temperature (T) at any time of instant noodle drying. The effective water diffusion coefficient of instant noodles was between 0.463×10–9 m2/s and 1.845×10–9 m2/s. The drying activation energy of instant noodles with diameter of 0.7 mm and 1mm was 47.904 kJ/mol and 65.265 kJ/mol respectively. Properly reducing the noodle diameter can effectively reduce the energy loss in the drying process. This study provides data support for equipment selection, energy saving and consumption reduction and industrial design of non-fried extruded potato instant noodles drying process.