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Microwave Processing of Fruits

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Fruit Preservation

Part of the book series: Food Engineering Series ((FSES))

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Abstract

Microwave heating, also known as dielectric heating, is a direct process, that is, energy is transferred directly to the food by molecular interaction with the electromagnetic field. Thus a greater penetration is achieved resulting in faster reaching of the temperature of interest and more uniform heat distribution. To correctly design processing equipment, it is essential to understand and determine the dielectric properties of the food and so ensure microwave incidence to obtain the required processing conditions. In order to obtain the dielectric properties of the food, it is important to consider its shape, moisture content, specific gravity, conductivity, and diffusivity, as well as process variables like maximum temperature and frequency. In this chapter, application of microwaves in various conservation methods applied to fruits will be presented such as blanching, drying, pasteurization, and sterilization. The advantages and disadvantages of employing microwaves to perform these processes when compared to conventional methods are also discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Katia Nicolau Matsui

  2. University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil

    Cynthia Ditchfield

  3. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Carmen Cecilia Tadini

Authors
  1. Katia Nicolau Matsui
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  2. Cynthia Ditchfield
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  3. Carmen Cecilia Tadini
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Amauri Rosenthal

  2. Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Rosires Deliza

  3. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico

    Jorge Welti-Chanes

  4. Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Gustavo V. Barbosa-Cánovas

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Matsui, K.N., Ditchfield, C., Tadini, C.C. (2018). Microwave Processing of Fruits. In: Rosenthal, A., Deliza, R., Welti-Chanes, J., Barbosa-Cánovas, G. (eds) Fruit Preservation. Food Engineering Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3311-2_15

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