Moroccan Journal of Chemistry | 2019
Adsorption measurements and study of temperature and humidity influences on the dandelion leaves’ powder
Abstract
Medicinal plants are photosynthetic organisms that have potential biological activities thanks to their phytochemical compounds. However, the potential of these activities inhabits due to several factors such as temperature and humidity. This paper presents the results of several experimental studies on moisture adsorption phenomena using experimental design methodology and the gravimetric static method as keys to study the impact of temperature and humidity on the powder of the Taraxacum Officinale leaves as well as modeling the moisture adsorption at different temperatures. Additionally, empirical models are fitted in order to regress the isotherms data and represent the relationship between the equilibrium moisture content of the product and water activity. The analysis of the interaction between these factors is based on experiments, statistical calculations, and the analysis of variance method which allow to verify the fact that the humidity affects the powder stability more than the temperature or their interactions