نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
This study experimentally evaluated the effect of apple cutting geometry on mass transfer kinetics, energy consumption, and product quality during microwave–vacuum drying. Apple samples were prepared in five geometries, including flat slices (2 and 4 mm), latticed slices (2 and 4 mm), and cubic cuts, and dried under three temperature levels (85, 95, and 105 °C) and vacuum pressures (55, 80, and 100 kPa). Drying time, moisture ratio, energy consumption, color change (ΔE), lightness (L*), and rehydration ratio were used as evaluation criteria. The results showed that cutting geometry significantly affected drying performance and product quality. Latticed slices with 2 mm thickness exhibited the shortest drying time, lowest energy consumption, and the best color preservation and rehydration capacity, achieving up to a 30% reduction in drying time compared to cubic samples. Increasing temperature and vacuum pressure enhanced drying rates and reduced energy consumption without noticeable quality deterioration. The combination of 2 mm latticed geometry, 105 °C temperature, and 100 kPa pressure was identified as the optimal condition.
کلیدواژهها English
