Drying of Chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) after Osmotic Dehydration with Sucrose and Glucose Solutions

Chestnuts were dehydrated by using a combined method of osmotic dehydration followed by air drying. Samples were osmotically pretreated with sucrose (60% w/w) and glucose (56% w/w) for 8 h, air-dried at temperatures of 45, 55, and 65°C, at a relative humidity of 30% and at a velocity of 2.7 m·s^?1 and the experimental data of the drying kinetics were obtained. Whole samples were dried with different peelings: (a) removal of endocarp and pericarp (peeled) and (b) additionally the internal rough surface (cut). In all cases, cut chestnuts show greater drying rates than peeled samples, indicating that a significant mass transfer resistance in the layer nearest to the surface takes place. Peeled samples pretreated with sucrose solutions behave in a similar way to untreated samples. For the rest of the samples, the cut samples osmotically treated with sucrose solutions and all the samples treated with the glucose solution, the drying rates decrease during drying. Drying kinetics are successfully modeled by employing a diffusional model that takes the shrinkage into account. The effective coefficient of water diffusion was evaluated and correlated with temperature. The quality of the final product was monitored by color change. In spite of the fact that the total color difference is not modified by the osmotic treatment, the L?, a?, and b? color coordinates of cut samples treated with sucrose and glucose solutions do undergo changes; the L? and a? coordinates change less than the b?.     

Air drying and colour characteristics of chestnuts pre-submitted to osmotic dehydration with sodium chloride

Air drying kinetics of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) submitted previously to osmotic dehydration with sodium chloride solutions (22%, w/w, 25 °C, 8 h) were experimentally determined. Drying experiments were carried out at 45, 55 and 65 °C during 32 h. Before osmotic dehydration operation, shell and tegument tissue were carefully removed in all samples. Rough external surface was maintained (peeled samples) or also removed (cut chestnuts) in different tests in order to evaluate the effect of the presence of this layer in the mass transfer rate. A diffusional model involving shrinkage was employed to simulate the drying kinetics of the all studied systems and values of the effective coefficient of diffusion of water were obtained. These coefficients were successfully correlated with temperature by means of an exponential equation and were employed to evaluate the additional mass transfer resistances due to the presence of layers and by the acquisition of osmotic solute in cut and peeled samples. The experimental determination of local salt and moisture contents during drying showed the existence of a drying front for water that moves along from surface to the centre of the sample and that salt accumulates near surface but also achieve the centre during the osmotic dehydration. Additionally, the analyses of the surface colour of air dried samples indicated that osmotic dehydration with salt keeps the characteristics observed for non-treated cut samples and deteriorates the colour quality in the case of peeled samples.     

Three-stage hybrid osmotic–intermittent microwave–convective drying of apple at low temperature and short time

ABSTRACT

In recent years, intermittent microwave coupled with hot air-drying has been used increasingly, thanks to considerable improvements observed in drying properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of process of drying apple pretreated osmotically with sucrose solution at five concentrations of 0 (control), 10, 30, 50, and 70% (w/w), using intermittent microwave at four power levels of 0 (control), 360, 600, and 900?W, four pulse ratios of 1, 2, 3, and 4, and convective hot air (40°C) on drying kinetics, effective moisture diffusion coefficient, shrinkage, bulk density, rehydration ratio, and energy consumption. Results showed that the three-stage hybrid osmotic–intermittent microwave–convective drying of apple at low temperature yielded higher drying rates (with 41.5% decrease in drying time) and improved quality of final product. The effective moisture diffusion coefficient increased with an increase in power, pulse ratio, and the concentration of osmotic solution. Furthermore, shrinkage, bulk density, and energy consumption of the samples decreased with an increase in power, pulse ratio, and the concentration of osmotic solution. In summary, the use of intermittent microwave coupled with forced convection of hot air (at low temperature) in drying of apple pretreated by sucrose osmotic solution led to products with improved properties in terms of both quality and quantity.     

EVALUATION AND MODELING OF TWO-STAGE OSMO-CONVECTIVE DRYING OF APPLE SLICES

Two-stage drying kinetics of cylindrical pieces of apples were evaluated by subjecting test samples first to various osmotic treatments and then to convective air drying to complete the drying process. Osmotic drying was carried out with cut apple cylinders of three different sizes (12, 17 and 20 mm diameter), all with a length to diameter ratio of 1 : 1, in a well agitated large tank containing the osmotic solution at the desired temperature. Solution to fruit volume ratio was kept greater than 60. After the osmotic treatment, apple slices were further dried in a cabinet drier at an average temperature 58°C. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) with five levels of sucrose concentrations (34-63°Brix) and five temperatures (34-66°C) was used for osmotic treatment. Half-drying time and solids gain time were used as measures of rate of drying and associated diffusion coefficients for moisture loss and solids gain were evaluated. Half-drying time decreased with an increase in temperature or concentration, or a decrease in sample size. Diffusion coefficients were lower for smaller samples, and were higher for migration of moisture as compared to solids. For a given level of moisture removal, air drying times were shorter than osmotic drying times. Composite models were developed to describe the effect of process variables and particle size on the drying behavior of apple slices.     

Use of Artificial Neural Network and Image Analysis to Predict Physical Properties of Osmotically Dehydrated Pumpkin

The objectives of this research were to predict, using neural networks, the color intensity (ΔE), percentage of shrinkage as well as the Heywood shape factor, which is the representative of deformation, of osmotically dehydrated and air dried pumpkin pieces. Several osmotic solutions were used including 50% (w/w) sorbitol solution, 50% (w/w) glucose solution, and 50% (w/w) sucrose solution. Optimum artificial neural network (ANN) models were developed based on one to two hidden layers and 10–20 neurons per hidden layer. The ANN models were then tested against an independent data set. The measured values of the color intensity, percentage of shrinkage, and the Heywood shape factor were predicted with R² > 0.90 in all cases, except when all the drying methods were combined in one data set.     

Thin Layer Drying Models for Osmotically Pre-dried Young Coconut

Thin layer convection drying was performed on osmotically pre-dried young coconut, strips, both thin and thick. A drying air temperature range of 50-70°C and an airflow of 0.25 m s^-1 was used to dry samples soaked in three sugar solution concentrations (40, 50, and 60°B) during the osmotic drying phase, with the convection drying alone serving as control. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that sugar concentration and thickness significantly affected osmotic drying rates as shown by their final moisture contents. While the drying air temperature and slab thickness significantly affected the average drying rate and the sugar concentration was an insignificant factor during convective drying phase. Effective diffusivity of water during hot air drying varied from 1.71 to 5.51 × 10^-10 m²s^-1 over the temperature range investigated, with energy of activation equal to 1173.0 kJ/kg. Three mathematical models available in the literature were fitted to the experimental data, with the Page model giving better predictions than the single or double term exponential model. The temperature dependence of the diffusivity coefficients was satisfactorily described by a simple Arrhenius type relationship.     

Color Change Kinetics of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) Slices During Air Impingement Drying

The color change kinetics of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) slices were investigated in an air impingement dryer under different drying temperatures (35, 45, 55, and 65°C) using the CIE Lab color parameters (L*, a*, b*) as the assessment indicators. Results illustrated that all three color parameters (L*, a*, b*) increased with drying time. The L* value decreased with increasing drying temperature. However, a* and b* values increased with the increase in drying temperature. Furthermore, at the initial drying stage the change rate of L* increased significantly, while towards the end of drying it reduced significantly. As regards a*, it slowly changed at the initial and final drying stages rather than in the intermediate drying stage. In the case of b*, it increased with increasing drying time and drying temperature during the whole process. The zero-order, first-order, and fractional conversion models were fitted to the experimental data, and the model's parameters were determined using linear regression analysis. By comparing the fitting of kinetic models to the experimental data, the most suitable model was selected to describe the color change kinetics. An Arrhenius equation was used to calculate the activation energy for color change kinetics and it was found that the values were 33.87–38.55, 56.48, and 74.03 kJ/mol for L*, a*, and b*, respectively. The findings of this work contribute to a better understanding of ginseng color changes kinetics during drying, and the established change kinetics models are a good tool for predicting, evaluating, and controlling of color change of American ginseng during its drying process.     

Air-Drying Kinetics of Osmotically Dehydrated Fruits

ABSTRACT

The air drying kinetics of fresh and osmotically dehydrated fruits (apples) was determined. Two sugars, glucose and sucrose, were used as osmotic dehydration agents. Three levels of sugar concentration (15%, 30% and 45%) and several times of immersion into the sugar solution were used. Following the osmotic preconcentration, the fruit samples were dried at 55°C and the weight of material was recorded. The effective water diffusivity of samples treated under various osmotic conditions was estimated and the results were related to the sugar content and the bulk porosity of the samples. The effective water diffusivity, resulting from the application of the diffusion equation to the drying kinetics of the apples was found to decrease significantly for the samples pretreated by a concentrated sugar solution (e.g. 45%), evidently due to the lower porosity and other physicochemical factors. The low diffusivity may be beneficial in the storage stability and utilization of dehydrated fruits.     

EFFECT OF OSMOTIC PRE-TREATMENT AND INFRARED RADIATION ON DRYING RATE AND COLOR CHANGES DURING DRYING OF POTATO AND PINEAPPLE

A combination of intermittent infrared and continuous convection heating was used to dry various osmotically pretreated sample of potato (in solutions of 10%, 20% and 30% NaCl) and pineapple (in solutions of 30%, 50%, 70% Brix). The effect of drying conditions on color changes of potato and pineapple was investigated. The Hunter color scale parameters (redness, yellowness and lightness) were measured to quantify the color changes. With appropriate choice of infrared intermittency as well as osmotic pretreatment, it is possible to reduce the overall color change while maintaining high drying rates. As expected, osmotic pretreatment resulted in a shift in the sorption isotherms for both products.     

EFFECT OF OSMOTIC PRE-TREATMENT AND INFRARED RADIATION ON DRYING RATE AND COLOR CHANGES DURING DRYING OF POTATO AND PINEAPPLE

A combination of intermittent infrared and continuous convection heating was used to dry various osmotically pretreated sample of potato (in solutions of 10%, 20% and 30% NaCl) and pineapple (in solutions of 30%, 50%, 70% Brix). The effect of drying conditions on color changes of potato and pineapple was investigated. The Hunter color scale parameters (redness, yellowness and lightness) were measured to quantify the color changes. With appropriate choice of infrared intermittency as well as osmotic pretreatment, it is possible to reduce the overall color change while maintaining high drying rates. As expected, osmotic pretreatment resulted in a shift in the sorption isotherms for both products.     

Effect of Osmotic Dehydration with Pulsed Vacuum on Hot-Air Drying Kinetics and Quality Attributes of Cherry Tomatoes

The effects of osmotic dehydration (OD) with or without pulsed vacuum (PV) on hot-air drying kinetics and quality attributes of cherry tomatoes were investigated. Both OD and PVOD pre-treatments were performed for 3 h at 50°C in 50 and 70^o Brix sucrose solutions with a solution-to-fruit mass ratio of 4:1, and PVOD was applied for 15 min before OD at atmospheric pressure. Samples were further dried at air temperature of 70°C. Effective moisture diffusivity (D _eff) of osmotically dehydrated samples increased gradually while the D_eff curve of fresh samples had a plateau stage during hot air drying. Lower glass transition temperature, T_g, values of osmotically dehydrated samples indicated that they needed a lower storage temperature. Both OD and PVOD pre-treatments had advantages in shortening drying cycles and improving quality of products. Compared with air drying, osmo-air drying decreased the total drying time, color change, and hardness of dried samples by 32.26%, 18.11%, and 88.21%, respectively, and increased volume ratio and vitamin C retention rate by 72.31% and 125.82%. As compared with OD, PVOD decreased color change and hardness by 28.48% and 45.17%, increased volume ratio and vitamin C retention rate by 27.41% and 17.77%, but there was no significant difference shown in drying time. Therefore, osmotic pre-treatment can shorten the total dehydration time, and improve the general quality of dried cherry tomatoes.     

Microwave-Convective and Microwave-Vacuum Drying of Cranberries: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Two drying methods of cranberries (microwave-vacuum and microwave-convective) are reviewed, and their advantages and disadvantages regarding the quality of dried product and the process performance are presented. Mechanically and osmotically pretreated berries were subjected to drying and quality evaluation. Quality parameters are color (in Hunter L*a*b* coordinates), textural characteristics (toughness and Young's modulus), and organoleptic properties (color, texture, taste, and overall appearance). Special emphasis was given to the energy performance of the process, monitoring of the real-time temperature profile, and the total microwave power-on time. Two microwave power densities are assessed, as well as different microwave power-on/power-off cycling periods. In almost all observed parameters, microwave-vacuum drying exhibited enhanced characteristics when compared to microwave-convective drying. Drying performance results (defined as mass of evaporated water per unit of supplied energy) showed that microwave-vacuum drying is more energy-efficient than microwave-convective. Tasting panel results exhibited slight preference in all parameters for microwave-convective dried samples.     

Ultrasound-Assisted Osmotic Dehydration of Strawberries: Effect of Pretreatment Time and Ultrasonic Frequency

Pretreatment of fruits prior to drying has shown success in reducing drying time and costs. In this work, ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration has been implemented as a method to increase water diffusivity and reduce drying time in strawberries. Strawberry halves were immersed in distilled water and in two different concentrations of sucrose solutions while pretreatment time and ultrasonic frequency levels were varied to determine their effect on drying time, water loss, and soluble solids gain. A microscopic analysis was carried out to evaluate the formation of microchannels and other changes to the fruit tissue structure. Greater sucrose concentration used in ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration resulted in greater water loss with greatest loss observed for the strawberry halves pretreated for 45 min in a 50% w/w sucrose solution. The pretreatment carried out for 30 min employing an osmotic solution of 50% w/w of sucrose resulted in the highest drying rate among the pretreatments. Osmotic dehydration used alone during pretreatment increased total processing time, whereas osmotic dehydration combined with ultrasonic energy during pretreatment reduced total processing time and increased effective water diffusivity. Cell distortion and breakdown were observed not only in pretreatments employing ultrasound-assisted osmotic dehydration but in conventional osmotic dehydration. Formation of microchannels through ultrasonic application and effects of osmotic pressure differential were considered to be largely responsible for reducing drying time for strawberry halves.     

Optimization of Osmotic Dehydration of Kiwifruit

Mass transfer rates were quantitatively investigated during osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit slices using response surface methodology with the sucrose concentration (20-80%, w/w), temperature of sucrose solution (15-75°C), osmotic time (60-420 min), and slice thickness (2-10 mm) as the independent process variables. Quadratic regression equations are obtained to describe the effects of independent process variables on the water loss (WL), sucrose gain (SG), and ascorbic acid loss (AAL). It was found that all factors had significant effect on the WL during osmotic dehydration of kiwifruit. Effects of temperature, time, and slice thickness were more pronounced on SG than the effect of concentration of sucrose solution. The osmotic solution temperature was the most significant factor affecting the AAL, followed by slice thickness and duration of treatment. The optimal conditions for osmotic dehydration were: 60% sucrose concentration, 30-40°C osmotic temperature, 150 min osmotic time, and 8 mm slice thickness.     

DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF RED CHILLI

Red chilli is widely consumed as a food additive throughout the world. It is blanched/treated to minimize quality loss during processing. This paper reports on various pre-treatments applied before drying and their influence on drying kinetics as well as product quality. Inactivation of peroxidase enzyme was achieved by blanching chillies at 90°C for 3 min in hot water. The physical appearance of the dried product was found to be the best when the blanched samples were soaked in gum acacia solution (0.2% m/v) for 15 min at room temperature. The pre-treated chillies were dried in a tray dryer at selected temperatures (55, 60, 65 and 70°C). Results indicated that drying took place in the falling rate period; the drying kinetics were adequately described by the Page's model. The activation energy for drying was determined to be 41.95 and 41.06 kJ/mol respectively, for blanched and gum-treated chillies. Total pigment content decreased while non-enzymatic browning increased with increase in drying air temperature.     

Control of Polyphenol Oxidase Activity in Banana Slices During Osmotic Dehydration

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sodium metabisulfite and 4-hexylresorcinol on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity change in banana slices during osmotic dehydration in sucrose syrup.

From a previous study only three osmotic dehydration conditions were selected as the most adequate due to color change but also where PPO residual activity was still present after osmotic drying: T1 (60°Bx, 50°C, pH 6), T2 (60°Bx, 60°C, pH 8), and T3 (70°Bx, 50°C, pH 8). The level of sodium metabisulfite was varied from 100 to 1000 ppm and 4-hexylresorcinol from 10 to 100 ppm. The inner and outer parts of the banana slice were used for PPO activity determination at 302 nm with 4 methyl-catechol as a substrate.

During osmotic dehydration of a banana slice, PPO activity tended to decrease and residual enzymatic activity was still detected. Sodium metabisulfite concentration up to 200 ppm and 4-hexylresorcinol up to 50 ppm had no effect on PPO residual activity after 4 h of osmotic dehydration. Depending on the process conditions, a higher concentration of additives than these were necessary to control PPO activity during osmotic dehydration of banana slices.     

Osmotic Dehydration of Apple Cylinders: I. Conventional Batch Processing Conditions

Osmotic drying was carried out, with cylindrical samples of apple cut to a diameter-to-length ratio of 1:1, in a well-agitated large tank containing the osmotic solution at the desired temperature. The solution-to-fruit volume ratio was kept greater than 30. A modified central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used with five levels of sucrose concentrations (34-63°Brix) and five temperatures (34-66°C). Kinetic parameters weight reduction (WR), moisture loss (ML), solids gain (SG) were considered. A polynomial regression model was developed to relate moisture loss and solids gain to process variables. A conventional diffusion model involving a finite cylinder was also used for moisture loss and solids gain, and the associated diffusion coefficients were computed. The calculated moisture diffusivity ranged from 8.20 × 10^-10 to 24.26 × 10^-10 m²/s and the solute diffusivity ranged from 7.82 × 10^-10 to 37.24 × 10^-10 m²/s. Suitable ranges of main parameters were identified for OD kinetics further study.     

Influence of Kiln Venting on Brown Stain in Pinus Radiata Sapwood

This study assesses the influence of a closed drying environment on kiln brown stain in Pinus radiata sapwood. Three sets of matched timber samples (N = 50) were dried at low temperature (50°C), one without and two with kiln venting. Statistical analysis showed that the closed drying environment produced no significant change in the lightness (L*) of kiln brown stain. Relative to the samples dried in the vented process, there was a small but statistically significant increase in the green color (Δa* ≈ - 1.7) for both the stained area and the unstained early-wood of the samples dried in the non-vented kiln.     

Effect of Variety on Drying Characteristics and Selected Quality Attributes of Dried Carrots

The effects of variety on drying characteristics, color, and water absorption of carrots were investigated. Six different varieties of carrots, viz. Kazan, Maxima, Nandor, Nektarina, Simba, and Tito were evaluated. The hot air drying characteristics of carrot cubes dried under forced convection conditions were determined and drying data were analyzed to obtain parameters of Page and first-order kinetic models as well as moisture diffusivity. Color characteristics were determined for fresh, dried, and dehydrated samples by measuring lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*). Water absorption data were analyzed for ground samples. It was observed that drying characteristics, such as color and water absorption were significantly influenced by variety. The varieties of Kazan and Nektarina were found to be characterized by highest and lowest moisture diffusivity of 7.52 × 10^-9 and 3.31 × 10^-9m²/s respectively. Kazan variety was also characterized by shortest drying time. The lowest changes in color caused by drying were observed for Tito variety. The variety of Kazan was characterized by the highest resistances to color changes affected by drying followed by rehydration. Nandor and Tito varieties displayed the highest water absorption near to 560 g/100 g. The best drying characteristics and good water absorption accompanied by the high color attributes of dried and rehydrated samples implies that Kazan variety is expected to be the most useful to drying industry.     

Effect of Osmotic Pretreatment on Hot Air Drying Kinetics and Quality of Chilean Papaya (Carica pubescens)

The effect of osmotic pretreatment on the mass transfer kinetics and quality of dried rehydrated Chilean papaya was researched. Osmotic treatments were sucrose solutions of 40, 50, and 60% w/w and dried at 60°C; non-pretreated samples were dried at different temperatures (40, 60, and 80°C). Quality parameters were analyzed: proximal composition, rehydration ratio, water-holding capacity, color, vitamin C content, firmness, and microstructure. Non-pretreated samples showed a clear turgor loss, color loss. and low ascorbic acid retention when rehydrated. Osmotic pretreatment improved the quality of rehydrated papayas, showing higher ascorbic acid retention and best firmness and color. Microstructure is better preserved in the pretreated papayas than in the non-pretreated samples, although this difference is minimal.