The aim of the present work was to study the degradation of ascorbic acid during hot air drying of papaya cubes and to verify its relationship with glass transition. A convective tray dryer was used in the drying experiments, which were carried out at air temperatures (T-air) of 40, 50, 60 and 70 degrees C and air velocities of 1.0 and 1.32 m/s. The lowest T-air induced higher retention of this nutrient at end of drying. At 70 degrees C, papaya sample remained in the rubbery state until the end of drying, since product temperature (T-p) was above the glass transition temperature (T-g) along the process. This state is characterized by great molecular mobility inside the food, which facilitates the degradation. At 40 degrees C, the rate of nutrient degradation was very slow as T-g was close to T-p and papaya has suffered phase transition from rubbery to glassy state.