Microwave Energy Absorption Behavior of Foamed Berry Puree Under Microwave Drying Conditions

Abstract

The microwave energy absorption behavior of foamed berry puree was studied considering the variations in the physical properties of the material. The absorptions of microwave energy within foamed berry puree indicated fluctuating trends in decay as microwave drying progressed, which were attributed to the effects of temperature, moisture content, and density of the material. Mathematical models of the dielectric constant ϵ′ and dielectric loss factor ϵ″ as a function of temperature and moisture content were developed using second-order functions. During microwave drying of foamed berry puree, moisture content had the most important negative influence on the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor, followed by temperature and porosity.

Keywords:

• Berry
• Foam mat drying
• Microwave
• Microwave energy absorption
• Thermal property

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the Key Project of Education Department of Heilongjiang Province of China (No. 12521z003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31071579, 31271911), and the Key Program of the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (No. ZD201013) for this research project.

Notes

Experimental conditions: microwave power range 140–700 W, material mass 100 g, thickness 8 mm, initial moisture content 90.38% (wb).