怀山药多相态微波干燥微观结构演变

    Microstructure evolution of Chinese yam in multiphase microwave drying

    • 摘要: 为明确怀山药在多相态微波干燥中发生收缩时其微观结构变化的具体过程,该研究通过改变第二升华干燥阶段(干燥90 min后,记为升华-II)的微波加载量(0.1、0.5、0.9 W/g)得到了不同干燥方案下(方案一、方案二、方案三)的怀山药样品,并采用X射线显微计算机断层扫描技术(X-ray microscopic computed tomography,μCT)可视化怀山药的内部结构,获取了样品的收缩率、孔隙结构及孔径分布等相关信息。研究发现,方案一(微波加载量0.1 W/g)中样品在转换点处含水率最低,开孔孔隙率最高。蒸发干燥阶段样品体积无较大变化,说明升华干燥阶段采用较低的微波功率密度能够抑制样品发生较大的收缩。此外,当微波功率密度较低时,样品内部孔隙数目较多。非联通孔的平均孔径和体积在不同干燥方案的升华干燥阶段无明显差异(P > 0.05),但对于转换点含水率较高的样品(方案二和方案三),蒸发干燥阶段非联通孔孔径增加较为显著(P < 0.05)。在3种干燥方案中,干燥样品连通孔等效直径与转换点处相比分别降低了3.08%、8.37%和20.04%,说明蒸发干燥阶段含水率高的样品孔隙结构更容易受到破坏。微观结构的结果表明升华干燥阶段去除较多的水分有利于样品内部形成具有一定刚性的孔隙结构,能够减小蒸发干燥阶段水分去除对样品微观结构的不利影响。

       

      Abstract: Microstructural evolution can often dominate the macroscopic shrinkage and deformation of plant-based food materials. It is very essential to clarify the evolution pattern of pore structure during drying, in order to evaluate the microstructural variations in the materials. Taking Chinese yam as a raw material, this study aims to investigate the conversion of the dehydration process during multiphase microwave drying. The samples of Chinese yam were also obtained under different drying schemes (Scheme 1, 2, and 3, i.e., microwave power densities of 0.1, 0.5, and 0.9 W/g). The microwave power density (0.1, 0.5, and 0.9 W/g) was adjusted at the drying stage of the second sublimation (after 90 min of drying, recorded as sublimation-II). X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) was used to visualize the internal structure of Chinese yam. The properties of samples were then acquired for the shrinkage ratio, pore structure, and pore size distribution. The results showed that the time required to reach the critical temperature at the phase transition point for the samples in Schemes 1, 2, and 3) was 195, 155, and 145 min, respectively. At the transition point, the sample of Scheme 1 exhibited the lowest water content (26.16%), the highest open pore rate (57.1%), and the highest number of pores. Furthermore, the smallest volume change of the samples was also observed during evaporation drying. Therefore, the lower microwave power density at the sublimation drying stage effectively reduced the moisture content of the sample at the transition point. Additionally, the open pores were formed to minimize the outstanding shrinkage that occurred in the sample. The sample exhibited a greater number of pores and a smaller volume change during evaporation drying. The open porosity in sublimation-II was reduced by 8.02% and 12.16%, respectively, for Schemes 2 and 3. Subsequently, the higher moisture content of the samples resulted in damage to the pore structure during sublimation drying. There was a notable reduction in the porosity of the samples. The pore diameters of the samples exhibited a non-normal distribution in the three drying schemes. An increasing trend of pores with diameters less than 20 μm was also observed in Schemes 1 and 2. In contrast, the tiny pores in the samples of Scheme 3 continued to decrease with drying, while the number of large pores increased. This trend was related to the larger microwave loading. The equivalent diameters of connected pores in the dried samples exhibited a reduction of 3.08%, 8.37%, and 20.04%, respectively, in three drying schemes, compared with the transition point. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the mean diameter and volume of non-connected pores in the samples at the sublimation drying stage among the three drying schemes. In the samples with the higher water content at the transition point (Scheme 2 and 3), the removal of moisture resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the equivalent diameter of non-connected pores at the evaporation drying stage. The μCT analysis revealed that there were no significant variations in the internal structure of the sample in Scheme 1, the removal of more moisture at the sublimation drying stage was facilitated to form the more robust pore structure inside the samples. There was no impact of water removal on the microstructure of the samples during evaporation drying. These findings can provide empirical evidence and theoretical insights to efficiently process high-quality dehydrated fruits and vegetables by multiphase microwave drying.

       

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