Improvement of drying efficiency and physicochemical quality of kiwifruit slices using infrared-assisted tilted tray air impingement drying

Abstract

A novel combined drying technology, namely infrared-assisted tilted tray air impingement drying (IR-TTAID), was developed in this study. Drying time, energy consumption, and quality of kiwifruit slices were evaluated. Compared with TTAID, IR-TTAID reduced the drying time by 35.71%–58.33% and the energy consumption by 5.96%–27.92%, as well as obtained better quality in terms of color, shrinkage, and vitamin C content. The Page, Weibull, and Dincer models could precisely describe the drying kinetics of kiwifruit slices, of which the Page model theoretically revealed the higher drying capacity of IR-TTAID due to the minor internal resistance to water transfer. Scanning electron microscope observed more porous structures in IR-TTAID samples, which was conducive to the moisture migration during the drying process. IR-TTAID at 60 °C is recommended as the most suitable drying condition considering drying efficiency and quality. The finding provides important information for promoting the industrial production of dried kiwifruit slices.

Keywords:

• Kiwifruit slices
• tilted tray air impingement
• infrared drying
• drying kinetics
• Dincer model
• food quality

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support from Key project at central government level: The ability establishment of sustainable use for valuable Chinese medicine resources (2060302).