Modeling of microwave drying of fruits and vegetables

J. R. ARBALLO; L.A. CAMPAÑONE; R.H. MASCHERONI

Montreal

Conferencia; 4th Inter-American Drying Conference IADC 2009; 2009

Federación Internacional de Ingenieros Químicos

This paper models deals with the experimental determination and modelling of Hheat and mass transfer in foods dried using microwave ovens is determined experimentally and modelled. The food is considered as a system with physical properties that can change with composition, structure, temperature and electromagnetic field. Inner heat generation due to the electromagnetic field is considered using the approximation of Lambert´s Law. Two successive stages are considered: heating and later evaporation, with the generation of a dehydrated recessing front and different properties in both zones, which are separated by the evaporation front. The coupled system of partial differential equations is coded in FORTRAN and run to simulate the experimental runs of dried pear slices dried in a household microwave oven. Predicted results of temperatures histories at surface and center of the slab and of weight loss are in good agreement with experimental results.