Optimization of microwave-vacuum drying of pomegranate arils

Pomegranate arils (Punica granatum L.) were dried in a microwave-vacuum drier up to a final moisture content of around 5–6 % (d.b.). The effect of microwave power level (25–95 W), vacuum pressure (25–195 mm Hg) and sample mass (65–235 g) on drying efficiency and some quality attributes (color, texture, rehydration ratio and sensory score) of dried pomegranate arils were analyzed by means of response surface methodology. A rotatable central composite design was used to develop models for the responses. Analysis of variance showed that a second order polynomial model predicted well the experimented data. All three process parameters microwave power, vacuum pressure and sample mass strongly affected quality attributes of dried pomegranate arils and drying efficiency. A lower vacuum pressure during drying resulted in better quality products. Optimum drying conditions of microwave power level of 80 W, vacuum pressure of 60 mm Hg and sample mass of 193.7 g were established for microwave-vacuum drying of pomegranate arils. Separate validation experiment was conducted at the derived optimum conditions to verify the predictions and adequacy of the models.     

Anthocyanins and polyphenol oxidase from dried arils of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Anthocyanins are natural pigments responsible for red, purple, and blue colouration in plants. Human consumption of anthocyanins is increasing because of the rising awareness and interest in their potential health benefits. Pomegranate is one of the major sources of polyphenolic phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins. Dried pomegranate raisins (anardana) are consumed in large quantities in Asian countries, and contain substantial amounts of anthocyanins. Five anthocyanins were found to be present in pomegranate raisins. Drying adversely affected the amount of anthocyanins, with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) playing a possible role in oxidative degradation of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are heat-stable compounds, and inactivation of PPO by processing at high temperature for short periods may prevent PPO-catalysed anthocyanin oxidation in pomegranate arils. Pomegranate PPO kinetics were partially characterised by investigating the effect of substrate (catechol) concentration; optimum pH for PPO activity was found to be 6.0.     

Drying kinetics and thermal degradation of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in pomegranate arils dried under vacuum conditions

The effects of temperature and pretreatment on drying kinetics and thermal degradation of phytonutrients present in pomegranate arils were investigated. The arils were divided into two groups, and half of the samples were pretreated by dipping into 80 °C hot water for 2 min. The drying process was conducted in the vacuum drier at the temperatures of 55, 65 and 75 °C. The fastest drying was completed at 75 °C after pretreatment of the samples. The highest anthocyanin–phenolic compound contents and antioxidant capacity were detected in the arils dried at 55 °C. Seven thin‐layer drying models were used to predict drying curves, and Arrhenius and Eyring–Polanyi models were employed to predict phytonutrient degradation kinetics. Activation energy for drying was 24.26 kJ mol^?1 for pretreated samples and 31.54 kJ mol^?1 for untreated samples. Effective moisture diffusivities were ranged from 1.43 × 10^?9 to 6.03 × 10^?9 m² s^?1.     

Mass transfer kinetics during osmotic dehydration of pomegranate arils

The mass transfer kinetics during osmotic dehydration of pomegranate arils in osmotic solution of sucrose was studied to increase palatability and shelf life of arils. The freezing of the whole pomegranate at -18 °C was carried out prior to osmotic dehydration to increase the permeability of the outer cellular layer of the arils. The osmotic solution concentrations used were 40, 50, 60°Bx, osmotic solution temperatures were 35, 45, 55 °C. The fruit to solution ratio was kept 1:4 (w/w) during all the experiments and the process duration varied from 0 to 240 min. Azuara model and Peleg model were the best fitted as compared to other models for water loss and solute gain of pomegranate arils, respectively. Generalized Exponential Model had an excellent fit for water loss ratio and solute gain ratio of pomegranate arils. Effective moisture diffusivity of water as well as solute was estimated using the analytical solution of Fick's law of diffusion. For above conditions of osmotic dehydration, average effective diffusivity of water loss and solute gain varied from 2.718 × 10(-10) to 5.124 × 10(-10) m(2)/s and 1.471 × 10(-10) to 5.147 × 10(-10) m(2)/s, respectively. The final product was successfully utilized in some nutritional formulations such as ice cream and bakery products.     

Optimisation of processing variables affecting the osmotic dehydration of pomegranate arils

For the optimisation of osmotic dehydration by response surface methodology, the experiments were conducted according to Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) with three variables at five levels. The low and high levels of the variables were 40 and 50 °C for osmotic solution temperature, 45 and 55°Bx for sucrose solution concentration, 60 and 100 min for duration of dipping in osmotic solution, respectively. The fruit to solution ratio was kept 1:4 (w/w) during all the experiments. Before dipping the arils in sucrose solution, the freezing of the whole pomegranate at ?18 °C was carried out to increase the permeability of the outer cellular layer of the arils. The arils were further convectively dehydrated at 60 °C air temperature up to final moisture content of 10% (wb) to make it a shelf stable product. The optimum conditions for osmotic solution concentration, temperature and process duration were 55°Bx, 40 °C and 100 min, respectively.     

Evaluation of parameters affecting modified atmosphere packaging engineering design for pomegranate arils

This study evaluated the effects of passive modified atmosphere packaging design parameters as a function of the amount of product (g), temperature (°C) and time (days) on two pomegranate cultivars. Arils (75, 100 and 125 g) were packed in trays, heat sealed with polylid film and stored at 5, 10 and 15 °C for 14 days, and analysed for physicochemical parameters viz headspace gas composition, weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, anthocyanin, aerobic‐mesophilic bacterial and fungal load (log CFU g^?1). At the highest temperature and weight, O₂ concentration continuously decreased below the critical limit (2%) after 4 days, while at 5 °C, this lower limit was not reached. Shelf life of arils was limited to 10, 7 and 3 days by fungal growth ≥2 log CFU g^?1 at 5, 10 and 15 °C, respectively. Using unsteady‐state equation, a good agreement was found between simulated and experimental gas composition data.     

Moisture-dependent properties of barnyard millet grain and kernel

The geometric mean diameter, sphericity, grain surface area, 1000 grain mass, true density (toluene displacement method), terminal velocity, dynamic angle of repose, coefficient of internal friction, coefficient of static friction at different surfaces (sun mica, canvas and mild steel surfaces), specific deformation and rupture energy of the grain were found to increase 12.21%, 4.79%, 30.47%, 30.75%, 6.74%, 32.99%, 127.05%, 60%, 18.57%, 34–67%, 69.2% and 88.87% respectively at increase of moisture content from 0.065 to 0.265 kg kg⁻¹ dry matter. However, true density (proximate composition method), bulk density, interstices and rupture force of grain was found to be decrease 8.64%, 20.1%, 86.49% and 21.17% respectively at increase of moisture content. Similar trend was observed for barnyard kernel also. True density (toluene displacement method) was found lower as compared to true density (proximate composition method) at all experimental moisture range indicated that the presence of void space inside the grain and kernel.     

Moisture-dependent orthotropic elasticity and strength properties of Chinese fir wood

Elastic and strength properties are very important material characteristics in mechanical modelling. Due to the anisotropic and hygroscopic nature of wood, a characterization of wood mechanical behavior will require knowledge of its moisture-dependent properties in relation to the three principal axes of anisotropy. The influence of moisture content (MC) on the elastic and strength anisotropy of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook) wood was examined in the present study. Selected parameters, including the anisotropic Young’s moduli, shear moduli, Poisson’s ratios, yield and ultimate stress values in the longitudinal, radial and tangential directions, were determined in compression and tension tests at different moisture conditions. The results indicated that a distinct moisture dependency is exhibited for the elastic and strength behavior of Chinese fir wood. With the exception of some Poisson’s ratios, all investigated elastic and strength parameters were shown to decrease with increasing MC, whereby individual moduli and strength values were affected by the MC to different degrees. The two- and three-dimensional representation of the compliance matrix and the two-dimensional visualization of a yield surface give a valuable overview on the moisture-dependent elastic and strength anisotropy of Chinese fir wood.     

Developing an antimicrobial packaging of ready-to-eat pomegranate arils based on vapors of brandy or distillery ethanol

Despite the increasing pomegranate consumption, the ready-to-eat (RTE) arils are highly perishable and this negatively impacts their commercialization. Nowadays, mild pre-packaging decontamination interventions (washing with sanitizing agents or exposure to ultraviolet light) in sequence or not with modified atmospheres packaging technologies are applied. Even though, the latter combination of methods provides them a shelf-life of 10–14 days at cold storage, several negative effects have been also reported (i.e., degradation of anthocyanins). Thus, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of alternative, mild antimicrobials such as the vapors of distillery ethanol and brandy on microbial, physical, textural, sensorial, and multispectral imaging attributes of RTE arils during storage at different temperatures in perforated bags. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts/moulds were the dominant spoilage microbiota of RTE arils, regardless of storage temperature and antimicrobial. Vapors produced by both volatile antimicrobials significantly inhibited (p < 0.05) the growth of LAB and yeasts/moulds, at all storage temperatures. For instance, at 4 °C, when population of TVC on controls was 6.9 log CFU g^− 1 (day 23), the respective counts on arils treated with distillery ethanol or brandy followed the order: 4.9 log CFU g^− 1 (1 mL of ethanol) > 3.9 log CFU g^− 1 (1 mL of brandy) > 2.2 log CFU g^− 1 (2 mL of ethanol) > 1.2 log CFU g^− 1 (2 mL of brandy). Moreover, arils exposed to distillery ethanol and brandy vapors showed lower weight loss (%) compared to controls, while the firmness was reduced, regardless of treatment and storage temperature. Color measurements and evaluation of multiple sensory attributes revealed that arils exposed to brandy vapors showed more intense red color and look fresher compared to controls for longer storage time. The latter observation was also validated by multispectral image analysis, since the results suggested that arils packaged with distillery ethanol or brandy maintained their anthocyanin and carotenoids content at higher levels than controls, at 4 °C. Thus, such preservation methods may open new perspectives on mild antimicrobial packaging in order to extend shelf-life of perishable minimally processed fruits, like pomegranate RTE arils.     

Moisture-dependent engineering properties of sunflower seeds with different structural characteristics

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of the moisture content of the seeds on engineering properties of sunflower hybrids with different structural characteristics. The properties were evaluated at seven levels of moisture from 2.0% to 20.1% (dry basis) for three selected sunflower hybrids. For both black-hull oilseed hybrid and confectionary hybrid, the variation in moisture content showed a statistically significant effect on dehulling ability, percentage of fines (broken grains with a diameter smaller than 2 mm) and all the physical properties studied (size, true density, bulk density, porosity, volume and weight, volumetric expansion coefficient, equivalent diameter and sphericity), except seed length in the confectionary hybrid and seed length and thickness in the black-hull oilseed hybrid. For the striped-hull oilseed hybrid, moisture content showed a significant effect only on dehulling ability, percentage of fines, seed width and thickness, bulk density and porosity. Of the oilseed hybrids, the striped hull genotype (higher hull content and both lower oil content and seed size) presented a higher dehulling ability. Nevertheless, the black hull hybrid resulted more sensitive to seed moisture changes. Although the confectionary hybrid showed a higher seed size, hull thickness and hull content, and lower oil content than the oilseed hybrids, the dehulling ability resulted fairly similar in the striped hull sunflower hybrids. The results suggest that sunflower seeds with different structural characteristics need to be conditioned with different moisture content before being subjected to the dehulling process.     

Effects of storage temperature and duration on chemical properties,proximate composition and selected bioactive components of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) arils

Effects of storage temperature on nutritional composition of pomegranate cultivars (‘Arakta’, ‘Bahgwa’ and ‘Ruby’) were investigated. Pomegranate arils were stored at 1, 4, and 8 °C at 95% relative humidity for 14 days. Arils stored at 1 °C were removed from storage after 14 days and kept at ambient conditions for one day. Anthocyanins, ascorbic acid and proximate composition were measured on day 0, 7, 14 and 15. O₂ consumption and CO₂ production increased at elevated temperatures. Proximate composition of pomegranate arils was similar amongst cvs.: 0.8 g/g moisture, 5.2 g kg⁻¹ ash, 13–15 g kg⁻¹ fat, 27–29 g kg⁻¹ dietary fibre, 11–12 g kg⁻¹ protein, 140–150 g kg⁻¹ carbohydrate and 310–320 kJ 100 g⁻¹ energy. ‘Arakta’ had highest titratable acidity (TA) level (0.3 ± 0.01 g 100 mL⁻¹) and ascorbic acid (26.0 ± 1.3 mg kg⁻¹). Low β-carotene levels (1.7–3.5 mg kg⁻¹) were detected in all samples. Nutritional composition of arils was not significantly affected at 1 and 4 °C for 14 d. Temperature did not affect total soluble solids (TSS), but increased TA and reduced TSS/TA. No mould growth was observed in arils stored at 1 °C after 14 d.     

Quality preservation of minimally processed pomegranate cv. Jahrom arils based on chitosan and organic acid edible coatings

The effects of chitosan (CTS), ascorbic acid (AsA), and citric acid (CtA) on quality preservation of (Punica granatum cv. “Jahrom”) processed arils were investigated. The arils were immersed in aqueous solutions including water (control), CTS (0.5 and 1%), AsA (1 and 2%), and CtA (1 and 2%) and stored at 5–7°C for 15 days. Results showed that AsA maintained water loss; inhibited color change, phenolic, and anthocyanin degradation; increased vitamin C; and decreased total soluble solids and titratable acidity as compared to control. The efficiency was better for AsA than CtA and thus the effect of CTS on quality safety except to protect water loss was approximately ineffective. AsA also exhibited a significantly lower decay percentage, probably due to the suppressing peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase followed by improving antioxidant power and maintaining catalase activity, which displayed that AsA exerts an antibrowning effect. Moreover, the positive effects of AsA result in getting a higher score in sensory quality at the end storage.     

Influence of energy input and initial moisture on physical properties of microwave-vacuum dried strawberries

In microwave-vacuum drying, thermal energy is replaced by electric energy for heating the material. The additional application of a sufficient vacuum results in a gentle treatment, and specific product features such as aroma and flavor components, and color can be conserved. A crisp texture results from puffing due to expansion when moisture evaporates within the product, and is related to porosity. Using strawberries, a statistical central composite design was applied to relate specific drying energy and evaporation rate as well as raw and bulk density, and particle size distribution to absorbed microwave power input ranging from 2.4 kW kg⁻¹ to 10.5 kW kg⁻¹ dry matter, and to an initial moisture content of 0.17 kg kg⁻¹ to 0.73 kg kg⁻¹ on dry basis, achieved by convective predrying. A low initial moisture content and high microwave power lead to products with low density, porous structure and optimum puffing effects, but shows disadvantages with respect to moisture evaporation rate and energy utilization. On the other hand, optimum efficiency results from the use of raw materials with a high initial moisture content and from applying a high microwave power input.

Influence of hot‐air treatment,superatmospheric O2 and elevated CO2 on bioactive compounds and storage properties of fresh‐cut pomegranate arils

The impact of heat treatment using hot air (HT 45 °C and 55 °C for 1 h) and two active modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions of high oxygen atmosphere (HOA: 80 kPa O₂, 20 kPa N₂) and high CO₂ atmosphere (HCA: 20 kPa CO₂, 80 kPa N₂), individually or combined, on the antioxidant capacity, polyphenols, vitamin C content, total anthocyanins, polyphenoloxydase (PPO) activity and shelf life of fresh‐cut (FC) pomegranate arils stored for 14 days at 4 °C was studied. The results indicate that HT 45 °C along with HOA inhibited PPO activity and prevented loss of antioxidant capacity, vitamin C and phenolic compounds in arils, in comparison with control and HT 55 °C. All treatments reduced the accumulation of anthocyanins, but HCA‐treated arils lost more anthocyanins besides having worse a* colour parameter values. No significant differences in titrable acidity (TA) and total soluble solids (TSS) were observed between treatments. The combination of HOA and HT 45 °C enhanced the benefits of applying each treatment separately and could be useful to improve and extend postharvest life of pomegranate FC arils.     

Research on physical properties change and damage behavior of cotton fabrics dried in drum-dryer

In order to investigate the impact of the repeated drying in dryer on physical properties of cotton fabric, smoothness appearance (SA), dimensional shrinkage, bending stiffness, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed. Results showed that smoothness appearance grade of cotton fabrics significantly depended on drying cycles during first 15 drying cycles. The dimensional shrinkage of cotton fabric was slight and had no relationship with drying cycles, and the shrinkage in the warp direction (1.29-1.71%) is higher than that of weft direction (0.002-0.045%). The bending stiffness was enhanced by drum-drying based on the bending stiffness data. And found that drying had little effect on thermal stability and crystallinity of cotton fibers. This indicated that drying only affected the appearance physical properties of cotton fabric such as appearance smoothness, dimensional stability, did not change composition and molecular structure. And from multiple levels including fabric-level, yarn-level and fiber-level, explained reasons of fabric properties change (namely, damage behavior). Moreover, this finding is not only helpful to understand of damage mechanisms of cotton fabrics drying in dryer, but also provided reference for dryer manufacturers to accurately specify the types of clothing that can be dried by using a dryer.