ENERGY USAGE AND RASPBERRY CONVECTIVE AND MICROWAVE DRYING PARAMETERS

Abstract

The drying experiments of microwave (MD) and convective (CD) dehydration of raspberries show a shorter drying time by 86–96 % and lower energy usage resulting in energy saving of 81–89 % for MD. The average drying ratio of raspberries increases by 3.5–19 times with the application of MD. Newton's, Modified Henderson, and Pabis's, Logarithmic models were successfully used to describe the drying kinetics of raspberries. Willamette and Tulameen varieties, dehydrated on 240 W MD, showed the shortest dehydration time, the minimum energy usage, and the most efficient diffusion.