EFFECT OF PRETREATMENT AND DRYING ON THE QUALITY OF OYSTER MUSHROOMS (PLEUROTUS OSTREATUS)

Fruiting bodies of oyster mushroom were dried by hot-air drying, vacuum-drying and freeze-drying in order to compare food qualities after drying. Prior to drying, mushrooms were subjected to blanching or dipping in sodium metabisulphite solution (1 or 5 g/L), or dipping in citric acid solution (1 or 5 g/L). Drying of raw mushrooms was taken as a control. Blanching reduced the attractiveness of dry mushrooms; sodium metabisulphite improved it. It has been found that pretreatment and drying method affect the course and rate of drying. Samples subjected to hot-air drying and vacuum-drying were darker than those freeze-dried, which were clearly more attractive. The hot-air and vacuum-dried mushrooms on rehydration were inferior in quality to the freeze-dried samples. Flavor of the freeze-dried mushroom was not significantly different from that of the hot-air dried mushrooms. Food quality of dried mushrooms depends significantly on the type of drier used.     

EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF DRYING ON THE QUALITY OF OYSTER MUSHROOM (Pleurotus sp)

ABSTRACT

Mushrooms are extremely perishable and have a short shelf life period. To increase the post harvest lives, different methods of drying viz., sun diving, fluidized bed drying and thin layer drying with potassium metabisulphite (KMS) and blanching was done. The quality of mushroom dried in fluidized bed condition at 50°C for 80-120 minutes with 0.5 KMS was found to be superior to other drying methods. Rehydration ratio was also maximum in KMS treated mushroom and no significant difference at higher concentration. The treatment with KMS and blanching reduces the nutritive quality but improves the colour of the mushrooms when compared with sun dried samples. Storage of mushrooms after treatment with KMS at higher concentration (1.5%) reduces the microbial spoilage.     

Temperature stability of vitamin D2 and color changes during drying of UVB-treated mushrooms

The study investigates the effect of drying temperature on vitamin D₂ content and color changes of UVB-treated shiitake (Lentinula edodes), oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), and white and brown button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). Fresh samples were UVB treated up to 1.5?J/cm² for 20?min at 25°C and either dried in a high precision dryer (temperatures: 40, 60, 80°C, specific humidity: 10?g/kg, air velocity: 0.6?m/s) or frozen at ?25°C, and then freeze-dried (pressure: 0.28?mbar). Vitamin D₂ content was not negatively affected by the increased temperatures of the drying air. The highest content of vitamin D₂ was detected in freeze-dried (171.84?µg/g) and hot-air dried shiitake at 60°C (169?µg/g), followed by oyster (121.96?µg/g), whereas the lowest amount was observed in brown button mushrooms at 40°C (34.65?µg/g). Although vitamin D₂ indicated a remarkable stability even at 80°C, the dried samples were characterized by intensive tissue darkening.     

EFFECT OF PRETREATMENT ON KINETICS OF CONVECTION DRYING OF ONION

Onion of two varieties, i.e. Oporto and Blonska was dried by convection at 60°C and 2 m/s. Prior to drying sliced onion was subjected to following treatments: soaking in water, dipping in starch solution, dipping in starch solution supplemented either with ascorbic acid or CaCl₂, and dewatering by osmosis in sucrose solution. Drying of raw onion was taken as a reference.

It has been found that both variety and pretreatment affect the course and rate of drying. Soaking in water and dipping in starch solution either increase rate of drying or have no effect on the kinetics of the process. Supplementing the starch solution with ascorbic acid or CaCl₂ adversely affects the rate of drying. Unfavorable effect on the rate of drying has also osmotic dewatering preceding convective drying.     

The Effect of Glass Transition Temperature on the Procedure of Microwave–Freeze Drying of Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

Freeze drying (FD) yields the best quality of dried mushroom but at the cost of a long drying time and high overall cost. Air drying (AD) gives an unacceptably poor quality product. To achieve faster drying along with a high-quality product, a microwave–freeze drying (MFD) technique was developed to dry mushrooms. The relationship between dried mushroom quality and the glass transition temperature during the MFD process was studied to optimize the MFD process. According to the change tendency of the glass transition temperature of mushroom during MFD, a step-down microwave loading scheme for the MFD process was developed to obtain good product quality.     

DRYING BEHAVIOR OF MUSHROOM SLICES

Drying of mushroom slices is an unsteady-state process under the control of diffusion race of water through the mushroom hyphae. Therefore, temperature, thickness of the mushroom slices and the ratio of the air film to mushroom resistance toward the diffusion of water control the drying rate. In this work, the initial thickness of mushroom slices was kept constant at 2 mm and the effects of structural parameters, temperature and humidity were investigated. Through the measurements of weight, center and surface temperatures of the mushrooms, and variation of the surface area, actual drying behavior of mushrooms under different dryer conditions were determined. Color of the dried mushroom slices were used as criteria for the evaluation and determination of the optimum conditions.     

DRYING BEHAVIOR OF MUSHROOM SLICES

Drying of mushroom slices is an unsteady-state process under the control of diffusion race of water through the mushroom hyphae. Therefore, temperature, thickness of the mushroom slices and the ratio of the air film to mushroom resistance toward the diffusion of water control the drying rate. In this work, the initial thickness of mushroom slices was kept constant at 2 mm and the effects of structural parameters, temperature and humidity were investigated. Through the measurements of weight, center and surface temperatures of the mushrooms, and variation of the surface area, actual drying behavior of mushrooms under different dryer conditions were determined. Color of the dried mushroom slices were used as criteria for the evaluation and determination of the optimum conditions.     

EFFECT OF PRETREATMENT ON KINETICS OF CONVECTION DRYING OF ONION

ABSTRACT

Onion of two varieties, i.e. Oporto and Blonska was dried by convection at 60°C and 2 m/s. Prior to drying sliced onion was subjected to following treatments: soaking in water, dipping in starch solution, dipping in starch solution supplemented either with ascorbic acid or CaCl₂, and dewatering by osmosis in sucrose solution. Drying of raw onion was taken as a reference.

It has been found that both variety and pretreatment affect the course and rate of drying. Soaking in water and dipping in starch solution either increase rate of drying or have no effect on the kinetics of the process. Supplementing the starch solution with ascorbic acid or CaCl₂ adversely affects the rate of drying. Unfavorable effect on the rate of drying has also osmotic dewatering preceding convective drying.     

Artificial neural network approach for protection of the color of dried golden and pink oyster mushrooms with pretreatments

In this study, the possibilities of protecting the color of dried golden and pink mushrooms were investigated, and color parameters of dried mushrooms were modeled by artificial neural network (ANN). For this purpose, first, the golden oyster mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) and pink oyster mushroom (Pleurotus djamor) were cultivated. Then, pretreatments were applied using citric acid (CA) and potassium metabisulfite (KMS) with different rates (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) separately, excluding control group mushrooms. All mushrooms were dried for 330 minutes in a laboratory type oven at two different temperatures (40°C and 50°C) until completely dehydrated. Colorimetric values (L*, a*, and b*) were determined using Konica Minolta CM‐2600d spectrophotometer for 30 minute intervals during the drying process. The obtained data were modeled using the ANN technique. The results show that darkening of mushrooms increased as the drying temperature increased. CA and KMS showed better results for dried golden and pink mushrooms, respectively. Thanks to the pretreatment, the mushroom's original color was protected compared with control samples. All mean absolute percentage error values of models were determined, which were lower than 4.0%. It was concluded that ANN can be a good way to predict the color of dried golden and pink mushrooms (pretreated or not) with a high degree of accuracy.     

Optimization of microwave freeze drying strategy of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) based on porosity change behavior

ABSTRACT

For dehydrated foods, porosity is a crucial parameter which affects mass and heat transfers, and is related to the product quality. It is important to monitor porosity change behavior to optimize the drying process. To achieve faster drying along with high product quality, microwave freeze drying (MFD) was applied to mushrooms dehydration processing. The relationship between porosity (include total, open-, and closed-pore porosity) and dried mushroom qualities was studied, and a suitable microwave loading strategy was obtained. It was found that lots of open pores could transform to closed pores while the moisture content (MC) was below 0.25?±?0.05?g/g (db), and the closed-pore porosity was arrived at a relatively stable level at moisture content below 0.17?±?0.03?g/g (db). Both total porosity and closed-pore porosity had a significant influence (P?<?0.01) on texture of MFD mushroom, and open-pore porosity had a significant effect (P?<?0.01) on rehydration ratio of MFD mushroom. According to the porosity change behavior of mushrooms, a dynamic microwave loading strategy can be used to reduce drying time and keep product quality during MFD process.     

Dehydration of Garlic Slices by Combined Microwave-Vacuum and Air Drying

Combination of microwave-vacuum drying and air drying was investigated as a potential mean for drying garlic slices. The sample was dried by microwave-vacuum until the moisture content reached 10% (wet basis), and then by conventional hot-air drying at the temperature of 45°C to final moisture content less than 5% (wet basis). Pungency, color, texture, and rehydration ratio of garlic slices dried by this method were evaluated and compared with those dried by freeze drying and conventional hot-air drying. The comparison showed that the quality of garlic slices dried by the current method was close to that of freeze dried garlic slices and much better than that of conventional hot-air dried ones. The lab microwave-vacuum dryer which the materials to be dried could be rotated in the cavity was developed by the authors.     

Dehydration of Garlic Slices by Combined Microwave-Vacuum and Air Drying

Abstract

Combination of microwave-vacuum drying and air drying was investigated as a potential mean for drying garlic slices. The sample was dried by microwave-vacuum until the moisture content reached 10% (wet basis), and then by conventional hot-air drying at the temperature of 45°C to final moisture content less than 5% (wet basis). Pungency, color, texture, and rehydration ratio of garlic slices dried by this method were evaluated and compared with those dried by freeze drying and conventional hot-air drying. The comparison showed that the quality of garlic slices dried by the current method was close to that of freeze dried garlic slices and much better than that of conventional hot-air dried ones. The lab microwave-vacuum dryer which the materials to be dried could be rotated in the cavity was developed by the authors.     

Comparison of Drying Characteristics and Quality of Shiitake Mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) Using Different Drying Methods

The objective of this study was to compare the drying characteristics and the quality of dried Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) cubes obtained by hot-air drying (HAD), intermediate-infrared drying (IIRD), and vacuum microwave spouted-bed drying (VMSD). Several quality parameters of products, including color, texture, and rehydration capacity, were investigated. Compared to IIRD and VMSD, HAD turn out to be the most undesirable method due to its longer drying time and poor product quality. With similar rehydration capacity, the color of the VMSD product was closest to the original material. In terms of texture, total sugar content, and sensory evaluation, the VMSD product has the best quality.     

Effect of Different Drying Methods and 24-Month Storage on Water Activity,Rehydration Capacity,and Antioxidants in Boletus edulis Mushrooms

This article evaluates the effect of air drying, freeze drying, and 24-month storage at 4 and 20 ^° C on unblanched and blanched Boletus edulis . Water content and activity were lower in freeze-dried mushrooms than in air-dried mushrooms, whereas rehydration capacity showed the opposite tendency. Drying resulted in substantial losses of the following antioxidants: total flavonoids (4–7%), vitamin C (2–36%), β-carotene (26–32%), and total tocopherols (72–81%); total polyphenols increased during air drying (7–17%) and decreased during freeze drying (5–7%). Antioxidant activity increased 1–33% during drying. Storage led to further changes in the quality of dried mushrooms. After 24 months, no vitamin C or tocopherols were detected, and water content and activity were moderately high.     

A Comparative Study on the Effects of Microwave and High Electric Field Pretreatments on Drying Kinetics and Quality of Mushrooms

This research evaluated the effects of microwave and high-voltage pretreatments on convective freeze drying of mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) independently. The effect of the microwave (5 W/g for 5 min) and high electric field (HEF; 430 kV/m for 15 min) as pretreatments on enhancement of the drying rates during subsequent drying and the value addition due to the above pretreatments on the quality of the final dehydrated products were investigated. An exponential mathematical model was developed by fitting the drying kinetics to the Page equation to predict the effects of the pretreatments on the drying kinetics of the mushrooms. The parameters considered for the evaluation of product quality project included color, texture, shrinkage properties, and rehydration ratio of the dried mushrooms. The drying rate of HEF-pretreated mushrooms was found to be unaffected overall when compared to the control and the HEF pretreatment resulted in better quality product and less overall shrinkage. Freeze drying of the pretreated mushrooms was found to result in slower drying rate but better overall quality and rehydration ratio.     

Effects of Different Drying Methods on the Quality of Squid Cubes

The effects of three different drying methods (e.g., intermediate infrared-assisted convection drying, low-frequency (915 MHz) microwave drying, and hot-air drying) on the quality of squid cubes were investigated. The quality parameters used to evaluate the drying efficiency were color, shrinkage, rehydration ratio, and hardness of the final dried products. The results showed that intermediate infrared-assisted convection drying and low-frequency microwave drying have the advantages over hot-air drying in terms of drying rate, shrinkage percentage, and rehydration ratio. Low-frequency microwave-dried samples displayed a puffed structure and their hardness was the highest. The intermediate-wave infrared-assisted convection drying, at 60°C, was identified as the best method for squid-cube drying in this study.     

Evaluation of the usefulness of serial combination processes for drying of apples

Abstract

Serial combination drying processes are currently studied as alternatives to conventional drying processes. Compared to freeze-drying (FD), serial combination drying appears to be faster and less expensive, while providing better product quality than hot-air drying (HAD) and microwave-vacuum drying (MVD) as previously demonstrated for carrots. Using the example of carrots, it has also been shown that the drying front moves radially outwards over the course of FD. This unexpected behavior was suggested to originate from the carrots’ heterogeneous structure. It was hypothesized that apple pieces behave differently. Here, this hypothesis was proven by using micro-computed tomography measurements of partly freeze-dried apple pieces. In order to improve the drying process of apple pieces, several single and combination drying processes were carried out. Processes were evaluated by using drying time and sample quality as relevant parameters. Sample quality was determined by analyzing the 3D-structure, rehydration behavior, color, and ingredient retention. Results showed that single MVD is a well suitable drying technique for apple pieces, producing dried products of equal quality to FD. Different from carrots, serial combinations are not necessary to improve the quality of dried apple pieces. Nonetheless, especially a combination of HAD and MVD was useful to obtain specific structures such as puffed pores that did not result from single MVD.     

2种方式干燥的天然橡胶干燥特性之研究

为探讨微波干燥天然橡胶新技术，分别在温度115℃下，采用电热烘箱产生热空气和微波干燥装置干燥湿天然橡胶胶粒，对二者的干燥特性及硫化胶性能进行对比分析研究。结果表明，微波干燥只需13．467min就可使胶料含水量降至0．791％，热空气干燥则需211min。天然橡胶微波干燥和热空气干燥主要包含失水率加速期、失水率减速期、失水率相对恒速期3个失水阶段。整个干燥过程中，微波干燥失水率较大，而热空气干燥失水率比较小。微波干燥天然橡胶硫化胶的耐热氧老化性能得到显著提高：其老化前后拉断伸长率变化率（-35％）和拉伸强度变化率（-59％）明显高于热风干燥天然橡胶硫化胶的拉断伸长率变化率（-62％）和拉伸强度变化率（-89％）。     

Effect of drying technique and disintegrant on physical properties and drug release behavior of microcrystalline cellulose-based pellets prepared by extrusion/spheronization

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of drying technique and disintegrant on physical properties and drug release behavior of microcrystalline cellulose-based pellets prepared by extrusion/spheronization. Formulations of paracetamol (6.7%, w/w), microcrystalline cellulose (66.7%, w/w) and different disintegrants, alginic acid, calcium carbonate, d-mannitol, croscarmellose sodium, sodium starch glycolate, crospovidone, in concentrations of 10% or 20% (w/w) were made and processed to pellets by extrusion/spheronization. Different drying techniques, i.e. hot-air drying, microwave drying and freeze-drying, were applied to each formulation. Physical properties, such as particle size distribution, moisture content, apparent density, pellet morphology, were evaluated. The mechanical properties and drug release behavior of the pellets were also examined. Only small difference in crushing strength between hot-air dried and microwave-dried pellets were found. Freeze-drying process resulted in pellets with larger diameter, weaker and more porous than pellets dried with the other processes. The porous structure promoted a faster drug release while the drug release from hot-air dried pellets and microwave-dried pellets was insignificantly different. Different disintegrants were incorporated in the pellets but none of the pellets disintegrated within 90 min. However, the drug release from pellets containing disintegrant was faster than that of pellets with no disintegrant. The results suggested that the type and amount of disintegrant is less influenced than the drying technique.     

Effect of Microwave-Vacuum Drying on the Carotenoids Retention of Carrot Slices and Chlorophyll Retention of Chinese Chive Leaves

Microwave-vacuum drying, and combined microwave-vacuum with air or vacuum drying were investigated as potential methods for drying green and high-carotenoid vegetables of Chinese chive leaves and carrot slices. The samples were dried by microwave-vacuum until the moisture content reached about 20% (wet basis), and then by conventional air drying at the temperature of 45-50°C or conventional vacuum drying at the temperature of 55-60°C or by continued microwave-vacuum drying at lower power level to final moisture content about 6% (wet basis). The carotenoid retention of carrot slices and chlorophyll retention of Chinese chive leaves, dried by these methods, was evaluated and compared with those dried by freeze-drying and conventional hot-air drying. The comparison showed that the carotenoid retention of carrot slices and chlorophyll retention of chive leaves, dried by the current methods, was very close to or even as much as those dried by freeze-drying and much better than those dried by conventional hot-air. Blanching was not necessary when using microwave-vacuum drying or combined microwave-vacuum with conventional hot-air drying or vacuum drying, because the activity of enzymes which were responsible for the degradation of color was greatly reduced with extremely rapid decreasing of moisture, and because oxygen was absent in microwave-vacuum drying.