Effects of microwave and infrared drying on the quality of carrot and garlic

Byline: Taner Baysal (1), Filiz Icier (1), Seda Ersus (1), Hasan YA+-ldA+-z (1) Keywords: Microwave; Infrared; Hot air; Carrot; Garlic; Drying Abstract: The effects of microwave and infrared drying on the quality of carrot and garlic were studied and compared with the effects of conventional hot air (tray drier for carrot and fluid bed drier for garlic) drying. The quality of carrot and garlic were evaluated by instrumental and sensory analysis. Rehydration, moisture content, water activity, particle density, bulk density, porosity and colour values were obtained for microwave, infrared and hot-air dried vegetables. In addition, total moisture content versus time was represented by drying rate curves of carrot and garlic samples. Finally, free moisture content versus drying rate were compared for the three different drying methods. Author Affiliation: (1) Food Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Ege University, Adegzmir, Turkey Article History: Received Date: 17/03/2003 Online Date: 31/10/2003