Quality Evaluation of Microwave-Dried Packham's Triumph Pear

Abstract

The objectives of this work were to carry out the microwave and microwave-convective drying of pear, in order to preserve the quality by reducing the drying time of the fruit; to compare the kinetic with convective drying mode data and to fit the comparative data to models from literature. The effect of osmotic dehydration and the variation in the microwave power were analyzed at constant values of air temperature and velocity. The experimental data fit well the proposed kinetic model. The processed pear was evaluated with respect to water content, quantity of calcium, phosphorus and potassium, water activity and apparent density. The best results were found for the samples osmotically dehydrated and dried in the microwave-convective dryer. The osmotic dehydration and the short drying times were important to maintain sample characteristics.