Objective function analysis for tropical fruits and coffee drying: Energy vs. Quality aspects
Special Symposium - Innovations in Food Technology (LMC Congress)
Innovations in Food Technology - Poster Session (LMC/Food - P1)
Keywords: Objective Function, freeze drying, convective drying, juice, extract
Convective drying, vacuum drying, spray drying and freeze–drying are widely used in industry for food processing. Usually freeze drying is considered as a high energy process not suitable as a first option for large scale productions. On the other hand Freeze-drying is a suitable technique to preserve taste, color, flavor, nutritional and antioxidant content of fresh fruits and vegetable extracts. Other advantages are the high solubility and rehydration ability of the dried product. For all other convective heat driven processes used for drying this type of materials the situation is usually inverse. In this way to compare these technologies energy analysis is not the unique criteria to be considered. Quality, production volumes and market analysis must be also included.
For that purpose, simulations for each dryer were performed calculating the heat requirements of each process and outlet conditions according to technical and economic parameters (based on retail prices) required in the market. Then an objective function was developed including the cited criteria allowing the analysis of advantages or disadvantages of these technologies using fruit and coffee industry as examples.
The obtained methodology and results allow the choice of appropriated technologies for different biomaterials drying based on quantitative analysis.
Presented Wednesday 19, 13:30 to 15:00, in session Innovations in Food Technology - Poster Session (LMC/Food - P1).
