The effects of temperature and moisture content on the drying rate of durum wheat pasta were examined using thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at temperature-rising rates of 0.2-1.0 degrees C/min. The activation energy for the mass transfer coefficient of drying was estimated to be ca. 32 kJ/mol at a moisture contents of 0.14 kg-H2O/kg-d.m. or higher, but increased rapidly as the moisture content dropped below this level. The conclusion temperature of the endothermic peak in the DSC and the temperature of the inflection point of the drying characteristics curve were located near the glass transition curve of the durum semolina flour. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Institution of Chemical Engineers.