Effect of Pulsed Electric Field and Osmotic Dehydration Pretreatment on the Convective Drying of Carrot Tissue

The influence of pulsed electric field (PEF) and subsequent centrifugal osmotic dehydration (OD) on the convective drying behavior of carrot is investigated. The PEF was carried out at an intensity of E = 0.60 kV/cm and a treatment duration of t _PEF  = 50 ms. The following centrifugal OD was performed in a sucrose solution of 65% (w/w) at 40°C for 0, 1, 2, or 4 h under 2400 × g. The drying was performed after the centrifugal OD for temperatures 40–60°C and at constant air rate (6 m³/h).

With the increase of OD duration the air drying time is reduced spectacularly. The dimensionless moisture ratio Xr = 0.1 is reached for PEF-untreated carrots after 370 min of air drying at 60°C in absence of centrifugal OD against 90 min of air drying after the 240 min of centrifugal OD. The PEF treatment reduces additionally the air drying time. The total time of dehydration operations can be shortened when OD time is optimized. For instance, the minimal time required to dehydrate untreated carrots until Xr = 0.1 is 260 min (120 min of OD at 40°C and 140 min of drying at 60°C). It is reduced to 230 min with PEF-treated carrots.

The moisture effective diffusivity D _eff is calculated for the convective air drying based on Fick's law. The centrifugal OD pretreatment increases drastically the value of D _eff . For instance, 4 h of centrifugal OD permitted increasing the value of D _eff from 0.93 · 10^?9 to 3.85 · 10^?9 m²/s for untreated carrots and from 1.17 · 10^?9 to 5.10 · 10^?9 m²/s for PEF-treated carrots.     

The Effects of Predrying Treatments and Different Drying Methods on Phytochemical Compound Retention and Drying Characteristics of Moringa Leaves (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

The most appropriate maturity stage of Moringa oleifera leaves was selected for drying based on phytochemical content, including quercetin and kaempferol. Desorption isotherms were developed and were best fit by the modified Henderson model. Prior to drying, samples were left untreated, blanched in boiling water, and blanched in NaHCO₃/MgO. The leaves were dried by hot air tray drying (TD) and heat pump–dehumidified drying air (HPD) at air temperatures of 40, 50, and 60°C. Alternatively, leaves were subject to microwave drying (MWD) at 150, 450, and 900 W and to freeze drying (FD). The moisture versus time data were fitted to five drying models. In general, a three-parameter model gave the best fit. The drying constant was related to the drying temperature or microwave power using an Arrhenius model. Effective moisture diffusivity (D _eff) increased with higher drying temperature, higher microwave power, or blanching treatments. Structural changes in the leaves after drying and upon rehydration were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Leaves blanched and dried using HPD at 50°C and fresh and dried using FD showed a partial breakdown of the tissue structure upon rehydration. HPD and blanching reduced the drying time by 8.3% and increased quercetin and kaempferol levels by 42.1 and 51.4%, respectively, compared to TD at 50°C. MWD provided the quickest drying followed by HPD and TD, respectively. HPD drying of M. oleifera after blanching resulted in relatively greater quality compared to TD and MWD.     

Effect of citric acid and blanching pre-treatments on drying and rehydration of Amasya red apples

Drying behaviour of red apples was experimentally examined in a laboratory dryer at drying temperatures of 55, 65 and 75 °C and a constant air velocity of 2.0 m/s. Two pre-treatments (blanching and 0.5% citric acid) were applied to prior to drying process. It was observed that both the drying temperature and pre-treatment affected the drying time. The shortest drying times were obtained from pre-treated samples with citric acid solution. Blanched samples have higher rehydration ratios than other samples. Five mathematical models namely, Newton, Henderson and Pabis, Page, Logarithmic and Parabolic models were evaluated in the kinetics research. The fit quality of the proposed models was evaluated by using the determination of coefficient (R²), reduced chi-square (χ²), root means square error (RMSE) and mean relative percent error (P). The Parabolic model provided the best representation of data. Effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff) computed on the basis of Fick's second law. D_eff value of pre-treated samples with citric acid solution was higher than the other samples.     

Rehydration of Rosa rubiginosa Fruits Dried with Hot Air

The effect of perforation, drying temperature, and rehydration temperature on the rehydration kinetics of Rosa rubiginosa fruits was investigated. Before drying, half of the fruit sample was perforated three times at equidistant points along the equatorial plane of the fruit, in order to speed up the drying process. Samples were dried at various air temperatures (60, 70, and 80°C), with an air velocity of 5 m/s and 5% relative humidity. Then, dried samples were rehydrated at different temperatures (20, 40, 60, and 80°C). The rehydration kinetics was fitted by two empirical models, Peleg and Weibull, and both represented the phenomenon well, in perforated and nonperforated fruits. Regardless of the drying temperature, the higher the rehydration temperature of rose hip fruits, perforated or not, the higher the water absorption capacity. Temperature dependence of the kinetic parameters was E_a = 47.5 kJ/mol (Peleg) and 55.9 kJ/mol (Weibull) for nonperforated fruits and E_a = 40.1 kJ/mol (Peleg) and 45.5 kJ/mol (Weibull) for perforated fruits; thus, perforated fruits were influenced more by rehydration temperature than nonperforated fruits. Perforated fruits rehydrated 30% faster than nonperforated fruits.     

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.     

The Effect of External Mass Transfer Resistance during Drying of Fermented Sausage

The drying mechanism of fermented sausages (sucuks) that were cylindrical rod shaped, 40 cm long and 4 cm diameter, during ripening under natural convection conditions at different temperatures (15 to 30°C) was examined. To simulate the experimental drying curves, three empirical models and a diffusional model assuming negligible external mass transfer resistance were evaluated. The drying rate curves of sucuk samples were also simulated taking into account the influence of the external mass transfer resistance. The equation was solved using the trial-and-error solution algorithm developed in this study and the mass transfer coefficient, k _c , and effective moisture diffusivity, D _eff , were simultaneously determined (1.44 × 10^?8 to 1.93 × 10^?8 m/s and 4.30 × 10^?10 to 6.85 × 10^?10 m²/s, respectively). The proposed model considering the effect of external resistance allowed the accurate simulation of the experimental drying data of sucuks at different temperatures.     

Modeling Moisture Loss during Vacuum Belt Drying of Low-Fat Tortilla Chips

A continuous vacuum drying method was used to develop low-fat tortilla chips with good sensory properties. To better understand the process, drying models were developed to determine the effects of drying thickness and temperature on drying rate. Drying rates were determined at three conduction plate temperatures (80, 90, and 100°C) and three product thicknesses (0.8, 1.5, and 2.3 mm). An effective diffusion model and semi-empirical models were used to fit the data. In addition, a model was developed from the drying rate curves that incorporated a drying coefficient [k(t)] that varied with time and could be described by a two-term Lorentzian model. All models had good agreement between experimental data and predicted data, with R ² > 0.98. With consideration of other goodness-of-fit indicators (sum of squared errors [SSE] and χ²), the Page and variable coefficient models provided the best fit. The average effective moisture diffusivity was calculated using nonlinear regression and ranged from D _eff = 1.19 to 1.54 × 10^?9 m²/s. D _eff increased with temperature and was described by an Arrhenius equation with E _a  = 14.1 kJ/mol.

Continuous vacuum drying of a presteamed corn dough can be used to produce low-fat tortilla chips with high crispness and acceptable sensory properties. The drying rate models presented in this study will help predict appropriate drying times, optimize process conditions, and better understand the mechanisms of drying.     

Hot air drying of purple-fleshed sweet potato with contact ultrasound assistance

A drying technique using a combination of a contact ultrasound apparatus and a hot air dryer is developed to investigate the strengthening effect of contact ultrasound on hot air drying. The effects of drying parameters such as ultrasound power and drying temperature on drying characteristics, effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff), microstructure, glass transition temperature (T_g), rehydration ratio, and color difference are discussed. The results show that the application of contact ultrasound causes a significant acceleration of internal mass transfer, and higher ultrasound power applied leads to faster drying rate. The effect of ultrasound power on drying rate decreases along with the reduction of moisture content during drying process. The increase in drying temperature significantly reduces drying time but has a little negative influence on the strengthening effect of ultrasound. D_eff values range from 1.0578?×?10^?10 to 5.4713?×?10^?10?m²/s in contact ultrasound-assisted hot air drying of purple-fleshed sweet potato and increase significantly with an increase in drying temperature as well as ultrasound power. The microstructure of purple-fleshed sweet potato is greatly different at different ultrasound powers during contact ultrasound-assisted hot air drying and shows more microchannels and dilated intercellular spaces in the cross-section of purple-fleshed sweet potato micrographs at higher ultrasound power. Contact ultrasound application during hot air drying could improve the mobility of water and consequently reduce glass transition temperature. Lower color difference and higher rehydration ratio could be achieved as drying temperature decreases and ultrasound power increases. The increase in contact ultrasound power could reduce energy consumption of drying process up to 34.60%. Therefore, contact ultrasound assistance is a promising method to enhance hot air drying process.     

Thin-Layer Drying of Green Peas and Selection of a Suitable Thin-Layer Drying Model

The thin-layer drying of three varieties of green peas was carried out in hot air-drying chamber using an automatic weighing system at five temperatures (55–75°C) and air velocity of 100 m/min. The green peas were blanched and sulphited before drying. The variety Pb-87 dried at 60°C was judged to be best for quality on the basis of sensory evaluation and rehydration ratio. The Thomson model was found to represent thin-layer drying kinetics within 99.9% accuracy. The effective diffusivity was determined to be 3.95 × 10^?10 to 6.23 × 10^?10 m²/s in the temperature range of 55 to 75°C. The activation energy for diffusion was calculated to be 22.48 kJ/mol. The variation in shrinkage exhibited a linear relationship with moisture content of the product during drying. The Dincer number at drying air temperature 60°C and drying air velocity 100 m/min was determined to be 2,838,087. The difference between temperatures of drying air and that of green pea kernels was found to decrease with drying time for all the drying temperatures taken for investigation.     

Ascorbic Acid Thermal Degradation during Hot Air Drying of Camu-Camu (Myrciaria dubia [H.B.K.] McVaugh) Slices at Different Air Temperatures

Abstract

Air drying of camu-camu slices was performed in order to estimate the effect of air temperature on the kinetics of ascorbic acid thermal degradation. Moisture variation during the air drying process was monitored gravimetrically by weighing the trays at predetermined time intervals. The experimental points were adjusted by Fick's diffusion model and by the Page empirical model. The effective diffusion coefficient (D_eff) ranged from 8.48 × 10^?10 to 1.34 × 10^?9 m²/s.The ascorbic acid content was evaluated in samples taken during the drying process using Iodine titration, and the results modeled by the Weibull equation. Concerning ascorbic acid retention the best drying condition required air at 50°C. The ascorbic acid retention was 78%, when the moisture content of the product reached 10% (wet basis).     

Experimental and fundamental critical analysis of diffusion model of airflow drying

Scientific literature of agromaterial drying present contradictory conclusions in terms of the kinetic effect of airflow velocity. Some authors confirmed that it does not trigger any modification of drying, while some articles tried to establish empirical models of the effective diffusivity D_eff versus the airflow velocity, what is fundamentally erroneous. By analyzing internal and external transfer phenomena, this research aimed at recognizing that once air velocity is higher than a critical airflow velocity (CAV), the internal transfers become the limiting phenomenon. CAV depends on the effective diffusivity and the product size. It was calculated in the cases of two studied raw materials (apple and carrot), differently textured by instant controlled pressure drop (DIC). Values of CAV greatly depend on diffusivity of water within the matrix. At temperature T?=?40°C, they were 1?m/s for untreated carrot and 2.1?m/s for DIC-textured carrot, whose D_eff values were 1.31 and about 3?×?10^?10?m²/s, respectively. Also, at temperature T?=?40°C, they were 2.1?m/s for untreated apple and 3?m/s for DIC-textured apple, whose D_eff were 1.4 and about 10.4?×?10^?10?m²/s, respectively.     

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 Dipping Temperature and Dipping Time on Drying Rate and Color Change of Grapes

Thompson seedless grapes (Vitis vinifera) were pretreated in potassium carbonate and ethyl oleate solutions for 1, 2, and 3 min at 30, 40, 50, and 60°C and dried in a convective air dryer at 60°C. The effect of dipping time and solution temperature on drying rate and color kinetics were investigated. Grapes dipped into the solution at 60°C for 2 and 3 min had the fastest drying rate. Among the seven semi theoretical models compared, the Midilli equation best described the drying curves of grapes for all dipping pretreatments. Color data were obtained using a machine vision system in CIE L*a*b* color space. Regardless of the dipping time and temperature applied, all raisins had varying degrees of brown coloring. At all dipping times and temperatures the highest R ² value was obtained for a* values, which followed zero-order reaction kinetics during drying.     

Effect of air temperature and velocity on moisture diffusivity in relation to physical and sensory quality of dried pumpkin seeds

Understanding the effect of drying process parameters on food quality is helpful in process optimization and control. The objective of this work is to understand the effect of mild and harsh effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff), varied by air temperature and velocity, of drying processes on the physical and sensory quality of flat food products. Pumpkin seeds were selected as a food representative. It was found that increments of air temperature and velocity resulted in increased D_eff and brown color on seed hull surfaces and embryos, but decreased hardness of seed embryos. Changes in taste and aroma of seed embryos were able to be sensed. Indicating that D_eff is related to seed physical quality. Similar phenomena occurred with both tray and fluidized bed drying. Air temperature, velocity, and D_eff should be controlled to ensure the best dried flat food products. Mild drying conditions are potentially preferred for good physical and sensory quality.     

DRYING OF CARROTS IN A FLUIDIZED BED. I. EFFECTS OF DRYING CONDITIONS AND MODELLING

ABSTRACT

Drying curves were determined in a mechanically agitated fluidized bed dryer, at temperatures between 70°C and 160°C, air velocities between 1.1 m/s and 2.2 m/s and stirring rates between 30 rpm and 70 rpm for batch drying of 3 kg lots of carrot slices, measuring the moisture content and shrinking of the particles in time. This was complemented by a study of the rate and degree of swelling of dried carrot particles in water between 20 and 75°C. Drying kinetics were modeled by Fick's second law, for which an optimal agreement with the experimental data was obtained when the effective diffusivity (D _e ) was determined by a correlation based on the air velocity (v), the air temperature (T) and the dimensional moisture content of the carrot particles (X/X _o ). Loss of carotenes is minimized when dehydration is carried out at about 130°C with a drying time below 12 min.     

From Laboratory Experiments to Design of a Conveyor-Belt Dryer via Mathematical Modeling

Abstract

A conveyor-belt dryer for picrite has been modeled mathematically in this work. The necessary parameters for the system of equations were obtained from regression analysis of thin-layer drying data. The convective drying experiments were carried out at temperatures of 40, 60, 80, and 100°C and air velocities of 0.5 and 1.5 m/sec. To analyze the drying behavior, the drying curves were fitted to different semi-theoretical drying kinetics models such as those of Lewis, Page, Henderson and Pabis, Wang and Singh, and the decay models. The decay function (for second order reactions) gives better results and describes the thin layer drying curves quite well. The effective diffusivity was also determined from the integrated Fick's second law equation and correlated with temperature using an Arrhenius-type model. External heat and mass transfer coefficients were refitted to the empirical correlation using dimensionless numbers (J _h , J _D  = m · Re ⁿ ) and their new coefficients were optimized as a function of temperature. The internal mass transfer coefficient was also correlated as a function of moisture content, air temperature, and velocity.     

Pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) of wolfberry: Drying kinetics and quality attributes

The effects of drying temperature (50, 53, 56, 59, 62, and 65°C) and pulsed vacuum ratio defined as the vacuum pressure duration versus atmosphere pressure duration (3:3, 6:6, 9:2, 12:5, 15:1, 18:4?min/min) on pulsed vacuum drying (PVD) characteristics and quality attributes of wolfberry in terms of polysaccharide content, color parameters (L^*, a^*, b^*, ΔE, and C), rehydration ratio and microstructure were investigated. Results revealed that appropriate PVD can reduce drying time by 73.2% compared to hot air drying at the same drying temperature. The moisture effective diffusivity (D_eff) ranged from 5.23?×?10^?10 to 9.73?×?10^?10?m²/s, calculated using the Weibull distribution model. The polysaccharide content, L^* (lightness), a^* (redness/greenness) of the PVD products were higher than those of the hot air-dried samples at the same drying temperature. The total color difference (ΔE) and color intensity (C) of PVD samples were close to those of the fresh ones. The retention rate of total polysaccharide content of PVD samples was about 49–77%, which was significantly higher than 30% of the hot air-dried samples. The surface of PVD wolfberry was highly porous, which may enhance moisture transfer during drying as well as rehydration processes. The results of current work indicate that PVD is a promising technology for wolfberry process, for the reason that PVD can reduce drying time significantly as well as enhance the quality attributes in terms of the total polysaccharide content, color parameters and rehydration ratio.     

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Freeze-Drying of “loco” (Concholepas concholepas)

The “loco” is a mollusk somewhat similar to abalone that exists exclusively in Chile and Peru. Given the high commercial value of loco, preservation through freeze-drying seems economically viable. In this work, the freeze-drying process of loco meat was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The effects of particle size, freeze-drying pressure, and intermittent use or not of microwave in the secondary drying stage, on the extent of the freeze-drying period, rehydration properties, shrinkage and texture were investigated by using a 2³ factorial design. Drying and rehydration kinetics were adjusted to phenomenological models in order to determine mass transfer parameters.

Freeze-drying pressure significantly affects the extent of the drying process. Freeze-drying pressure results in shrinkage, while microwave produces a volume increase. The effective moisture diffusivity (D_eff) estimated form drying curves fluctuated between 10^?10 and 10^?11 (m²/s), agreeing with values reported for other meat products. The adjustment of the rehydration kinetics to the Constant Diffusivity Model gave the best fit, resulting in D_eff in the order of 10^?10 (m²/s). Particle size and freeze-drying pressure significantly affected rehydration capacity.     

Effect of Pretreatments on Drying and Rehydration Kinetics and Color of Sweet Potato Slices

The effect of air temperature and pretreatments (KMS: citric acid) on drying kinetics of sweet potato slices was investigated. Drying experiments were performed in a tray dryer. In falling rate period, moisture transfer from sweet potato slices was described by applying the unsteady-state Fickian diffusion model, and the rate constant (k) were calculated. The effect of temperature on k could be interpreted according to Arrhenius law. Drying rate and therefore k values were found to be affected by pretreatments. Rehydration rates of dried sweet potato slices at 25, 40, 80°C were also determined and found to be independent of drying conditions and rehydration temperature. The ΔE value was found to be the highest for slices treated at 50°C with 0.5:1.0% KMS and citric acid.     

Process-Based Drying Temperature and Humidity Integration Control Enhances Drying Kinetics of Apricot Halves

The effects of drying temperature (50, 60, and 70°C) and absolute humidity (65, 90, 115, 140 g/kg at the initial stage) on drying kinetics and color attributes of apricot halves under process-based drying temperature and humidity integration control (PDTHIC) were investigated. Results indicated that appropriate PDTHIC could reduce the drying time by 18.75% compared to the control group. The absolute humidity parameter should be controlled well rather than continuously dehumidify for traditional practices. The moisture effective diffusivity (D_eff) at 70°C presented drastic fluctuations with increasing absolute humidity parameters, calculated using the Weibull distribution model. The activation energy (E_a) of samples treated by continuous dehumidification and PDTHIC were 31.40 and 74.18 kJ/mol, respectively. The variation trend of color parameters was different from the conventional hot air drying probably due to the dehydration mechanism. Observation of the microstructure of the dried samples indicated that the PDTHIC process can enhance the drying rate of apricot through generating a larger pore network compared to continuous dehumidification at the same temperature. The findings of the current work clearly indicated that process-based drying temperature and humidity integration control enhances the drying kinetics of apricot halves, leading to a promising technology for energy savings.