Radiant-convective drying of osmotic treated agro-products: effect on drying kinetics and product quality

A combination of intermittent IR and continuous convection heating was used to dry various osmotically pretreated of potato, carrot (in solutions of 15%, 25% and 35% NaCl) and banana samples (in solutions of 15%, 25%, 35% sucrose). The effect of different IR intermittencies and stepwise variation of IR intensity on the product drying kinetics and color change were investigated. The Hunter color scale parameters were used to quantify the color changes. With appropriate control of the IR intermittences and heat flux intensity regulation as well as osmotic pretreatment, it is possible to produce premium quality agro-products while maintaining high drying rates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.