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Abstract
Microwave-vacuum drying, and combined microwave-vacuum with air or vacuum drying were investigated as potential methods for drying green and high-carotenoid vegetables of Chinese chive leaves and carrot slices. The samples were dried by microwave-vacuum until the moisture content reached about 20% (wet basis), and then by conventional air drying at the temperature of 45–50°C or conventional vacuum drying at the temperature of 55–60°C or by continued microwave-vacuum drying at lower power level to final moisture content about 6% (wet basis). The carotenoid retention of carrot slices and chlorophyll retention of Chinese chive leaves, dried by these methods, was evaluated and compared with those dried by freeze-drying and conventional hot-air drying. The comparison showed that the carotenoid retention of carrot slices and chlorophyll retention of chive leaves, dried by the current methods, was very close to or even as much as those dried by freeze-drying and much better than those dried by conventional hot-air. Blanching was not necessary when using microwave-vacuum drying or combined microwave-vacuum with conventional hot-air drying or vacuum drying, because the activity of enzymes which were responsible for the degradation of color was greatly reduced with extremely rapid decreasing of moisture, and because oxygen was absent in microwave-vacuum drying.