The aim of the present work was the formulation of a theoretical model predicting the behavior of a convective drier over a wide range of process conditions. The proposed approach was based on the coupling of a transport phenomena model, describing the simultaneous transfer of momentum, heat and mass both in the drying chamber and in the food, and of a structural mechanics model aimed at estimating food sample deformations, as due to moisture loss. The effects of food shrinkage on drying performance were ascertained by analyzing the spatial distributions of temperature, moisture content, strain and stress, as a function of operating conditions. The agreement between model predictions and a set of experimental data collected during drying of cylindrical potatoes was good as far as the time evolutions of food average moisture content and of its main dimensions, i.e. length and diameter, were concerned. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.