Microwave and microwave-vacuum drying as alternatives to convective drying in barley malt processing

Author(s)

Carvalho, Gisandro Reis ^[1] ; Monteiro, Ricardo Lemos ^[2] ; Laurindo, Joao Borges ^[2] ; Duarte Augusto, Pedro Esteves ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr ESALQ, Dept Agrifood Ind Food & Nutr LAN, Piracicaba - Brazil

^[2] Fed Univ Santa Catarina UFSC, Coll Food Engn, Dept Chem & Food Engn EQA, Florianopolis, SC - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Food & Nutr Res Ctr NAPAN, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES; v. 73, OCT 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Barley malt is widely used in food and beverage industries. Although microwave drying can be an interesting alternative for stabilization, it has been traditionally processed by convective drying. This work studied the microwave and microwave-vacuum drying of barley malt, evaluating hydration, germination and drying. Both hydration and germination reduced the grain compression force, but without demonstrating a defined endpoint. The traditional convective drying (50-70 degrees C) took 540-840 min, while microwave reduced processing time in similar to 95%. Vacuum increased the drying rate and reduced the product temperature. Moisture profiles over pro-cessing were calculated based on the obtained effective diffusivity. The drying rate showed an intermediate moisture value when microwave radiation is optimum, which was associated with the best combination between absorption and conversion across the water molecules within the sample. The behavior parameter of Page Model suggested super-diffusion. In conclusion, microwave and microwave-vacuum technologies showed to be attractive alternatives for barley malt drying. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/17844-0 - High-Intensity Ultrasound and Drying Accelerators to Enhance Drying and Rehydration of Foods: Vegetables and Grains
• Grantee: Gisandro Reis de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 19/05043-6 - NewDRYING: new strategies to enhance food drying
• Grantee: Maria Antonia Calori
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants