IDS’2022 – 22 nd International Drying Symposium Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, June 26 – June 29, 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.55900/fztcaezx 22 ND INTERNATIONAL DRYING SYMPOSIUM WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Role of Drying Process on Quality of Essential Oils and in F&F Industry Viplav Hari Pise a , Bhaskar N. Thorat a a Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai – 400019, India. *E-mail of the corresponding author: bn.thorat@ictmumbai.edu.in Abstract Drying aromatic herbs is crucial for preserving biomass and retaining the aroma profile of essential oils (EOs). Commercially, enormous quantities of biomass are shade dried prior to EOs extraction, which could significantly affect volatiles' yields and composition profile. Therefore, it is recommended to deploy low-temperature drying (30-50 °C) to retain volatiles and its various components. This paper aims to assimilate, compile, and analyse the techno- economic feasibility of drying followed by supercritical fluid extraction process of some economically important leafy aromatic plants of India and south-east Asia that are key to ‘flavor and fragrance industries’ of the world. It could be inferred from the analysis that appropriate drying technology could significantly reduce process quantity (50% reduction of mass compared to traditional shade dried mass) of raw material. Additionally, proper dehydration would also lead to perennial availability of the raw material for off-season processing. Moreover, the techno-economic feasibility analysis of supercritical fluid extraction of dehydrated betel leaves estimates a payback period of less than three years. The cost of drying is expected to be beneficial in the overall scheme of the plant economics that includes various other unit operations including supercritical extraction, sizing equipment and so on. Further analysis suggests that contract farming arrangement, simple yet detailed, and beneficial to both parties, could help establish small processing plants to farmers providing them a new crop alternative. Fixed buyback and performance payment contracts were defined to showcase stable incomes for the farmer by a combination of technology, service, and access to the market. Keywords: Super-critical fluid extraction, Cost-economics, Lamiaceae species.