Convective Drying in Combination with Microwave and IR Drying for Biological Materials

Abstract

The main aim of this article is to find an optimal method for drying of biological materials. Eight schedules of combined (hybrid) drying processes were carried out experimentally with the use of different techniques like convective, microwave, and infrared radiation. The drying time and the quality of dried products were the points of interest. Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) was used as the experimental material. The kinetic curves of drying for the beetroot samples were determined and the dried samples were photographed for visual assessment of the sample quality. Based on the result, attempts were made to suggest suitable drying methods for the application of biological materials in terms of drying time and product quality.

Keywords:

• Beetroot
• Complex drying
• Drying kinetics
• Drying time
• Quality of products

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work was carried out as a part of the research project DS 32-266/09 sponsored by the Poznań University of Technology.