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Numerical Study on the Variable-Temperature Drying and Rehydration of Shiitake
Lizhe Zhang1, Long Jiang1, Meriem Adnouni1
1Key Laboratory of Refrigeration and Cryogenic Technology of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 9, 2024
Summary
Variable-temperature convective drying (VTCD) enhances shiitake mushroom quality by optimizing rehydration. This method reduces drying time and improves thermal stability compared to constant-temperature drying.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Agricultural Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- High-quality dried mushrooms require effective drying technologies.
- Accurate numerical models for shiitake mushroom drying and rehydration are currently lacking.
- Variable-temperature convective drying (VTCD) shows promise for improving mushroom quality and rehydration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model for VTCD of shiitake mushrooms.
- To investigate dehydration characteristics and drying load during VTCD.
- To analyze the impact of VTCD on mushroom rehydration performance.
Main Methods:
- Employing a bidirectional coupled model for thermo-hydro and mechanical properties.
- Investigating five dehydration characteristics: moisture ratio, drying rate, temperature, evaporation rate, and volume shrinkage ratio.
- Developing a combined drying-rehydration mathematical model.
Main Results:
- VTCD resulted in moderate shrinkage and a drying time of 16.89 hours.
- Reduced temperature variation and evaporation rate gradient (Max. 1.50 mol/(m³·s)) were observed.
- VTCD improved enthalpy stability, decreasing the maximum drying load by 58.84% compared to constant-temperature drying.
- Medium temperature drying (318.15-328.15 K) significantly impacts rehydration.
Conclusions:
- VTCD offers superior drying performance for shiitake mushrooms compared to constant-temperature methods.
- The developed models provide quantitative insights into VTCD processes.
- Optimizing VTCD parameters, especially drying time at medium temperatures, is crucial for enhancing rehydration capacity.
