Gentle microwave vacuum drying for fresh fruits
14th International Conference on Microwave and High Frequency Heating, AMPERE 2013, Nottingham, Birleşik Krallık, 17 - 19 Eylül 2013, ss.18-22, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Nottingham
- Basıldığı Ülke: Birleşik Krallık
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.18-22
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Drying, Fresh fruits, Microwave, Vacuum
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Drying with moisture reduction has been known to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits. While fleshy juicy fruits can be kept fresh only for couple of days, they can be stored for months or even a year after drying. In the present paper, we studied the effects of microwave vacuum drying conditions on the colour and textural properties of banana. 5-mm thick banana samples were dried in a laboratoryscale MW vacuum system at vacuum pressures in a range of 15-30 mbar and MW power levels varying between 0.5 and 0.8 kW. The drying rates were determined by periodically weighing the samples. It was determined that the vacuum pressure of 20 mbar and MW power of 0.5 kW are the optimum parameters which lead to fastest drying. The best drying was obtained within 20 minutes. The high vacuum level implied greater colour changes in the case of low MW power levels. The microwave vacuum drying process successfully retained the form colour, appearance, texture and strong aromas of the fleshy juicy fruits.