New understandings of how dielectric properties of fruits and vegetables are affected by heat-induced dehydration: A review

Abstract

Dielectric heating (DH) is an alternative to traditional conductive heating. Preservation of fruits and vegetables through drying based on DH is faster than conventional heating systems, needing less processing time, and delivering a better dehydrated product as well as reduced treatment costs. Dielectric properties (DPs) are significant physical qualities that are affected by microwave (MW) and radio frequency (RF) heating systems; these attributes directly affect the electromagnetic arrangement and currents surrounding the materials. In other words, DPs define the response of materials in electric fields at the desired frequency and temperature. Thus, DPs of materials are of increasing interest in the agricultural and food-processing fields. The principles of the DPs of fruits and vegetables according to frequency, temperature, and composition are crucial in the designing and handling of MW and RF heating operations. A consideration of DPs is required to ensure the quality of fruits and vegetables is enhanced throughout the drying process for better quality final products. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive update on the prospects of DH for drying of fruits and vegetables. The factors that affect the DPs during the dehydration process of fruits and vegetables and discussions about the correlation among these factors were also provided. In addition, the fundamentals of DPs and their measurement techniques were also discussed. This study is an update on the state-of-the-art DH system and illustrates the important influence of DPs on the radiative heating of fruits and vegetables.