Effects of intermittent CO2 convection under far-infrared radiation on vacuum drying of pre-osmodehydrated watermelon

摘要

BACKGROUND: Watermelon, a tropical seasonal fruit with high nutrient content, requires preservation through drying due to its perishable nature. Nevertheless, drying of watermelon through conventional processes has a negative impact either on the drying time or on the final product quality. In this work, osmotic dehydration of watermelon followed by far-infrared radiation-assisted vacuum drying (FIRRAVD) was optimized to develop dehydrated watermelon with minimum moisture content. Significantly, during FIRRAVD, an attempt was made to further intensify the drying rate by forced convection through intermittent CO2 injection. Drying kinetics of each operation and physicochemical qualities of dried products were evaluated.