The thermo-fluid-dynamic behavior of a dryer, used for the production of a special kind of alimentary pasta (lasagna), was analyzed, performing both numerical simulations and experimental investigations, in order to improve the dryer thermal performance. In particular, the achievable improvements in terms of temperature distribution, obtained by modifying the control of air distribution and the geometry of air distribution channels, were analyzed. The numerical simulation suggested the design of some modifications of the actual dryer. Particularly, the air distribution was improved and the natural vertical stratification of the drying air was reduced, implementing a new geometrical configuration with some vertical and horizontal panels. An experimental campaign on the dryer was carried out, confirming the trends obtained using the computer code. The percentage of pasta defects was reduced from 30% down to 10% thanks to a more controlled air distribution. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.