Nonstationary convective drying of raspberries, assisted by microwaves and ultrasound

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the drying characteristics and quality of raspberries dried in non-stationary conditions. Seven drying programs were carried out, including convective (CV) drying as a reference. The non-stationary-hybrid programs were based on continuous CV drying with intermittent microwave and ultrasound assistance. The Midilli–Kucuk model was used successfully to describe the drying kinetics of raspberry fruits. The comparison between moisture ratio, drying rate, diffusion coefficient, energy consumption, and quality analysis, showed that non-stationary-hybrid drying improves process kinetics and results in less color change, higher anthocyanin retention, and better texture profile analysis characteristics with optimal energy usage than other methods. In addition, the physical and microstructural changes occurred during different drying processes were discussed.

Keywords:

• Hybrid drying
• intermittent drying
• anthocyanin
• color
• texture
• porosity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was conducted as a part of research project no. 2014/15/D/ST8/02777 sponsored by the National Science Center in Poland.