Optimization of strawberry drying process under different pretreatments and geometries at low temperatures [electronic resource].

Includes bibliographic reference.

The drying kinetics of strawberry were investigated and optimized. They affected by the strawberry geometries and the drying temperature
in addition to the pretreatments including the thermal treatments and osmotic dehydration. Three geometries (whole, halve and quarter),
two thermal pretreatments (hot water and microwave), osmotic dehydration (sucrose + calcium chloride and glucose + calcium chloride) and
three temperatures (40, 50 and 60°C) were evaluated. The initial moisture content of the fresh strawberry samples was varied between 93.4
and 77 % (w.b). The results indicated that the half that treated by sucrose, Whole that treated by sucrose and hot water (80 °C) for 10 sec
and half that treated by glucose, microwave (1100 W) for 10 sec at 40?C. Also, half that treated by glucose, whole that treated by sucrose
and hot water (80 °C) for 10 sec and whole that treated by sucrose, microwave (1100 W) for 10 sec at 50?C. The optimum conditions at the
highest temperature 60 ?C were half that treated by sucrose, whole that treated by sucrose and hot water (80°C) for 10 sec and whole that
treated by sucrose, microwave (1100 W) for 10 sec.

Summary in Arabic.