Heat and mass transfer studies were conducted with pasta cylinders at different porosities, temperatures and pressures. Tests with pasta cylinders were conducted at porosities of 6 and 26%, temperatures of 40, 55, 71 and 105 degrees C and total pressures of 77, 101 and 202 kPa. Analysis of tests conducted with 3.18, 4.76 and 5.56 mm diameter dense pasta cylinders (6% porosity) at 71 degrees C indicated that mass transfer was consistent with control by internal diffusion. The drying not affected by total pressure, suggesting that the mechanism of internal moisture movement is best considered a liquid or adsorbed phase diffusion phenomenon. Effective moisture diffusivities of dense pasta increased as temperature and moisture content increased, with values ranging from 8 to 106 x 10(-12) m(2)/s. Diffusivities of porous pasta (26% porosity) ranged from 36 to 221 x 10(-12) m(2)/s. Heat transfer studies with dense and porous pasta indicated that the center temperature for 5.56 mm diameter pasta cylinders approached the dry bulb air temperature within 3 degrees C in less than 10 min, supporting the assumption that pasta drying can be considered an isothermal process. A semi-empirical model for moisture diffusivity in pasta that accounts for the effects of porosity, pressure and moisture binding was developed. The model agrees reasonable well with experimental data for dense pasta, and for porous pasta aat low and atmospheric pressures (77 kPa and 101 kPa). The model underpredicts the moisture diffusivity for porous pasta at high pressures (202 kPa). The model provides a reasonable estimate of moisture diffusivity in pasta.