Effects of different drying methods on the physical characteristics and flavor of dried hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to compare the physical characteristics and flavor of dried hawthorns obtained by freeze-drying (FD), microwave freeze-drying (MFD), atmospheric freeze-drying (AFD), and heat pump drying (HPD). The parameters including moisture content, product temperature, rehydration ratio, chroma, hue angle, yellowness index, total color difference, and energy consumption were investigated. The use of fuzzy reasoning for the sensory evaluation of hawthorn quality was also performed. As expected, AFD, FD, and MFD produced better accepted dried hawthorn products than did HPD. Nevertheless, FD consumed the highest energy and had a long drying time, but its product was the best; AFD had a similar energy cost as HPD, but its drying time was the longest; and MFD had a higher energy cost and longer drying time than HPD, but its product quality was similar to that of FD products. As a result, MFD and AFD had potential to replace FD to yield dried hawthorns with high product quality and relatively low cost.     

A comparative study of drying methods on physical characteristics,nutritional properties and antioxidant capacity of broccoli

Abstract

Broccoli is considered one of the attractive raw materials for dehydrated vegetables owing to its high nutritional value. However, information about how drying methods affect the physicochemical and nutritional properties of broccoli is limited. In this study, broccoli pieces were subjected to freeze drying (FD), hot air drying (HAD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), vacuum drying (VD), MVD combined with HAD (MVD?+?HAD), and MVD combined with VD (MVD?+?VD). Quality attributes of dehydrated broccolis were contrasted in terms of color, texture, volume shrinkage, nutritional components, antioxidant activity, and rehydration capacity. Results demonstrated that FD better preserved the nutrients while HAD displayed the worst effect. The combination of MVD?+?HAD and MVD?+?VD resulted in higher retention of nutritional compositions, better antioxidant activity, and lower energy consumption than that of HAD. Furthermore, combined drying processing exhibited similar rehydration capacity but lower hardness compared to that of HAD.     

Serial combination drying processes: A measure to improve quality of dried carrot disks and to reduce drying time

Conventional drying processes like hot air-drying (HAD), freeze-drying (FD) and microwave vacuum drying (MVD) have specific advantages and disadvantages concerning product quality and drying time. Recent studies have shown that serial combinations of these processes can lead to better product quality (water content, color, hardness, rehydration, volume, and ingredient retention) and favorable process parameters (shorter time, less energy consumption). However, little is known about the timing of the changeover point between the different processes. In this study, we investigated the development of quality parameters (volume retention, rehydration properties) during FD, HAD, and MVD either as a single or as a serial combination process with varying changeover point. Therefore, carrot disks were processed in a modular drying processor to different final relative moisture contents. On this basis, recommendations were derived for certain combinations of drying processes to achieve desired product quality parameters, partially with shorter drying times.     

A Combination of Freeze Drying and Microwave Vacuum Drying of Duck Egg White Protein Powders

High energy consumption during freeze drying (FD) is a major concern that limits its application on common food product manufacturing. In this research, fresh duck egg white protein (FDEWP) powder and desalted duck egg white protein (DDEWP) powder were obtained by a combined two-stage tandem drying technologies (FD and microwave–vacuum drying [MVD]) in order to reduce energy consumption while maintaining good product quality. The results showed that the drying time for the FDEWP and DDEWP powders was significantly decreased by FD + MVD compared to those obtained by the FD-only process. The FDEWP powders dried by FD + MVD had a better color (higher L* and lower b*), lower apparent density, and lower foaming stability but higher emulsifying index than those dried by FD only. The DDEWP powder dried by FD + MVD had a product quality similar to that of FDEWP powder, suggesting that the DDEWP powder could be widely used as a food ingredient.     

Studies on Decreasing Energy Consumption for a Freeze-Drying Process of Apple Slices

The shape, color, flavor, and rehydration capacity of freeze-dried (FD) products are all better than other dried products. However, the energy consumption during FD is very high, which limits the application of this drying method for common materials. In this article, microwave vacuum drying (MWVD) was applied before or after FD to decrease the energy consumption during FD. Moreover, energy consumption was divided into two parts: valid and invalid energy consumption. Apple slices were used as an example to calculate the saving percentage of invalid energy consumption by comparing combination drying with FD. Apple slices freeze dried for 8.28 h first and then dried by MWVD have the best appearance, with a savings of 39.20% in invalid energy consumption. But apple slices freeze dried for 6 h first followed by MWVD have the highest savings of invalid energy consumption, 54.02%, while still maintaining an acceptable appearance.     

Electrohydrodynamic Drying—A Concise Overview

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying is a novel method of non-thermal processing. The drying can be carried out using either AC or DC high voltages. The thermodynamic considerations regarding the lowering of temperature under EHD drying include rapid rates of evaporation and exothermic interaction of the electric field with a dielectric material. Multi-point and plate electrode systems are efficient in accelerating drying of agricultural materials. Compared to hot air (convective) drying systems, EHD drying systems offer lower food production costs along with superior quality in terms of physiochemical properties such as color, shrinkage, flavor, and nutrient content. Compared to convective and freeze-drying, EHD drying systems, given their simpler design and lesser energy consumption, show great potential for bulk and industrial drying applications.     

Electrohydrodynamic Drying—A Concise Overview

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying is a novel method of non-thermal processing. The drying can be carried out using either AC or DC high voltages. The thermodynamic considerations regarding the lowering of temperature under EHD drying include rapid rates of evaporation and exothermic interaction of the electric field with a dielectric material. Multi-point and plate electrode systems are efficient in accelerating drying of agricultural materials. Compared to hot air (convective) drying systems, EHD drying systems offer lower food production costs along with superior quality in terms of physiochemical properties such as color, shrinkage, flavor, and nutrient content. Compared to convective and freeze-drying, EHD drying systems, given their simpler design and lesser energy consumption, show great potential for bulk and industrial drying applications.     

Effects of Four Different Drying Methods on the Quality Characteristics of Peeled Litchis (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)

Four different drying methods, namely, air drying (AD), microwave-assisted vacuum drying (MWVD), coupled microwave–hot air drying (MWAD), and freeze drying (FD), were studied, in terms of drying time, color, reducing sugar content, shrinkage, microstructure, and sensory evaluation. The drying rate of MWVD and MWAD were notably faster than that of AD and FD. The highest reducing sugar content was observed in MWAD, followed by MWVD. No significant differences were observed in reducing sugar between air-dried and freeze-dried products. FD had the best color and shrinkage among the other drying methods. The color and shrinkage of MWVD drying is close to the fresh litchis and much better than hot air and MWAD. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the MWVD and FD litchis have a porous structure, whereas AD and MWAD litchis have a compact structure. The sensory evaluation suggests that peeled litchis dried by the four studied drying methods are of a quality that is accepted by consumers.     

Drying of Mushroom Slices Using Hot Air Combined with an Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Drying System

In this study, hot air combined with EHD drying is examined as an improved method for drying mushroom slices. The effects of three levels of voltage (17, 19, and 21 kV) and electrode gap (5, 6, and 7 cm) on the drying kinetics, time, effective water diffusion coefficient, and energy consumption of the EHD, pure hot air (provided within a chamber), and hot air combined with EHD drying systems were investigated. ANOVA showed that there were significant differences between EHD treatments and control (pure hot-air-drying treatment) for all of the investigated responses. Voltage and electrode gap factors had significant effects on all investigated responses. The results confirmed that the combination of EHD and hot air can significantly reduce the drying period, resulting in a greater effective water diffusion coefficient and drying rate and reduced energy consumption. As such, this technique offers a promising solution to the considerable energy consumption of the drying industry.     

A Two-Stage Vacuum Freeze and Convective Air Drying Method for Strawberries

Strawberries were dehydrated in a two-stage combination drying consisting of vacuum freeze drying (FD) followed by hot air drying (AD), and in a two-stage hybrid method involving FD and finish AD(FAD) to obtain dehydrated strawberries of high quality at reduced cost. Energy consumption and physicochemical properties of the FAD product were compared with single-stage AD and single-stage FD. The quality parameters of the products were also analyzed. It was found that the quality of combined FAD-dried products approximated that of single-stage FD. Hence, the proposed two-stage combination drying method is recommended for dehydration of strawberries to obtain a high-quality product at lower cost when compared with vacuum freeze drying alone.     

A Two-Stage Vacuum Freeze and Convective Air Drying Method for Strawberries

Strawberries were dehydrated in a two-stage combination drying consisting of vacuum freeze drying (FD) followed by hot air drying (AD), and in a two-stage hybrid method involving FD and finish AD(FAD) to obtain dehydrated strawberries of high quality at reduced cost. Energy consumption and physicochemical properties of the FAD product were compared with single-stage AD and single-stage FD. The quality parameters of the products were also analyzed. It was found that the quality of combined FAD-dried products approximated that of single-stage FD. Hence, the proposed two-stage combination drying method is recommended for dehydration of strawberries to obtain a high-quality product at lower cost when compared with vacuum freeze drying alone.     

Effect of combined infrared freeze drying and microwave vacuum drying on quality of kale yoghurt melts

Abstract

Kale yoghurt melts are proposed as a novel snack that can melt in the mouth. However, such melts with thin fresh pulp were difficult to shape when drying at elevated temperature. In order to obtain a desirable shape and high-quality snack, freeze drying (FD), infrared freeze drying (IRFD), and combination of infrared freeze drying and microwave vacuum drying (IRFD-MVD) were attempted. The effects of these drying techniques on the drying time, energy consumption, bulk density, rehydration time, texture, color, chlorophylls, carotenoids and total phenolics contents as well as antioxidant activity and sensory characteristics of the differently dried products were compared. Nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance image analyses were also conducted to illustrate the state and proportion of water during the IRFD process. Drying time of IRFD was noted to be significantly shorter than that of FD. IRFD-MVD could further save the time as well as energy consumption of drying and, when properly conducted, could maintain the quality of snacks.     

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 infrared pretreatment on low-humidity air drying of apple slices

The dried apple is used in the preparation of weaning foods and bakery products. The current drying processes, especially hot air (HA) drying, still face the problem of longer processing time and product quality degradation. The low-humidity air (LHA) drying can be an option to retain product quality in heat-sensitive food such as apple. The present work focuses on the effect of pretreatment of apple slices with potassium metabisulfite and infrared (IR) waves on drying characteristics when subjected to LHA drying and comparing the product quality with conventional hot air and freeze drying (FD). Pretreatment with IR waves reduced the drying time by nearly 23 and 17% in LHA and HA drying, respectively. The results indicated that IR-treated and LHA-dried slices retained nearly 82–90 and 72–74% of ascorbic acid and total phenolic content, respectively and was comparable to FD slices. The drying time for LHA was nearly 37% lesser than that for HA drying. LHA-dried apple slices had better color and rehydration ratio compared to FD- and HA-dried slices.     

DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY PRETREATED CRANBERRIES—ENERGY AND QUALITY ASPECTS*

ABSTRACT

This study reports on finish drying of osmotically pretreated (dehydrated and sugar-infused) cranberries. The halved fresh berries pretreated in a standard osmotic solution (67.5 Brix at 50°C for 5 h) were then freeze-dried, vacuum-dried and air-dried in various dryers (cabinet-air-through, fluid bed, pulsed fluid bed, and vibrated fluid bed dryers) in order to identify the best drying technology. Energy consumption and product quality were chosen as the comparison criteria. The best product quality, quantified by the anthocyanins content, rehydration ratio, color and taste, was noted for freeze-dried berries. As all other drying methods gave similar, albeit slightly lower quality products than freeze-drying, the selection of a drying method could be based on the unit heat consumption. The vibrated fluid bed and the pulsed fluid bed should be favored because of the highest energy efficiency. Even though sugar infused into cranberries during osmotic pretreatment reduces drying rates during the second drying period as compared to untreated berries, osmotic dehydration reduces the total energy consumption on top of the preferential sensory characteristics of the final product.

     

Drying of shiitake mushroom by combining freeze-drying and mid-infrared radiation

Mid-infrared drying (MIRD) was applied before or after freeze-drying (FD) of shiitake mushroom to shorten the drying time, to enhance the rehydration, and to better preserve the aroma compounds and color. The effect of application of MIRD before freeze drying (MIRD–FD) and after freeze drying (FD–MIRD) on drying time, color, rehydration ratio, apparent density, microstructure and aroma compounds was measured, explained and compared with the effect of FD on these parameters. The results showed that the combination of FD (for 4 h) followed by MIRD saves 48% time compared to FD while keeping the product quality at an acceptable level. The MIRD–FD combination was found to be inferior compared to the FD–MIRD as the former tended to produce products with a collapsed surface layer and poor rehydration capability. The combination of MIRD with FD had a significant effect on aroma retention and caused an increase of sulfur compounds such as dimethyl, trisulfide and 1,2,4-trithiolane.     

How to Meet the Freeze Drying Standard in Combined Drying Processes: Pre and Finish Drying of Carrot Dice

Freeze-drying (FD) processes are well known to produce high-quality consumer products. Major problems are long drying times, high investment costs, and resulting maintenance and operating costs that make FD a very costly process. In this study, the potential of air drying (AD) and microwave vacuum drying (MVD) is tested to reduce freeze-drying times and make better utilization of the investment by combining FD with alternative lower cost drying processes using a pre or finish drying step while preserving the qualwity of the final product. Using carrot dice as a sample product, predrying did not lead to the desired qualities and reduction in drying time, whereas finish drying produced promising results. FD/MVD was 40% faster than pure FD and achieved freeze-drying standards regarding volume retention, shape, color, and rehydration. The good performance of microwave vacuum finish drying can directly be traced back to a time effect that is possibly linked to a characteristic collapse time of the cellular matrix. In order to use this effect, a stable skeleton must have developed at the point of process changeover, changeover has to be immediate, and finish drying has to be quick.     

Combined Microwave-Vacuum and Freeze Drying of Carrot and Apple Chips

A combination of microwave-vacuum (MWV) drying and freeze drying was investigated as potential means for drying carrot and apple chips. The sample was first dried by microwave-vacuum to dehydrate some amount of internal free water and then by freeze drying to a final moisture content of less than 7% (wet basis). Chemical properties (carotene and vitamin C retention) and physical properties (shrinkage, color, texture, and rehydration ratio) of carrot and apple slices dried by this method were evaluated and compared with those dried by freeze drying alone, MWV drying alone, and conventional hot air drying, respectively. The comparison showed that the carotene retention of carrot slices and the vitamin C retention of apple slices dried by the current method were close to those of freeze-dried carrot and apple slices and much better than those of conventional hot air–dried ones. The samples prepared by the current method exhibited very close rehydration capacity, color retention, and texture with those of the freeze-dried ones but with a little higher shrinkage. However, the samples still showed the attractive external appearance without marked warp.     

Drying Kinetics and Quality of Shrimp Undergoing Different Two-Stage Drying Processes

An innovative two-stage drying concept is presented in this article. The work considered drying of shrimp using a superheated steam dryer followed by a heat pump (SSD/HPD) or a hot air dryer (SSD/AD) both from drying kinetics and dried product quality points of view. The experiments were performed using the first-stage superheated steam drying temperature of 140°C while the second-stage heat pump drying (or hot air drying) was performed at 50°C. The moisture content of shrimp at the end of the superheated steam drying stage was varied between 30 and 40% (w.b.). The effect of tempering between SSD/HPD was also investigated. Shrinkage, color, rehydration behavior, texture (toughness and hardness), and microstructure of dried shrimp were measured. The results showed that SSD/HPD dried shrimp had much lower degree of shrinkage, higher degree of rehydration, better color, less tough and softer, and more porous than single-stage SSD dried shrimp. It was also found that SSD/AD gave redder shrimp compared to shrimp dried in a single-stage superheated steam dryer. No improvement in terms of shrinkage and rehydration behavior was observed, however.     

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.