A multi-flash-drying process for obtaining dehydrated crispy fruits

Barbara Daniela Almeida Porciuncula, Marta Fernanda Zotarelli, Joo Borges Laurindo*

Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianpolis-SC, Brasil

Department of Chemical and Food Engineering
Campus Universitrio Trindade 88040-900 joao@enq.ufsc.br

ABSTRACT
Banana and mango are perishable tropical fruits, for which the development and improvement of
technologies for their conservation and processing is important. The aim of this work was to evaluate the
application of a multi-flash-drying process (MFD) to obtain dehydrated-and-crisp fruits. To accomplish this
process, successive cycles of convective heating followed by the application of vacuum pulses were applied
to a tank containing slices of banana (Musa sapientum L.) or mango (Mangifera indica L.). Slices with
thickness of 5 mm of banana and slices of mango with thickness of 8 mm and 30 mm square were put inside
a 0.035 m3 jacketed container, where hot air could flow. Fruit samples were heated up to 60 oC and submitted
to a flash evaporation, opening a valve that quickly connected the container to a vacuum chamber of 1 m3.
This process of heating followed by the application of a vacuum pulse was repeated twelve times. Banana
samples processed by this procedure presented moisture content of 0.293 g/g (dry basis) and water activity of
0.272, while mango fruits presented moisture content of 0.09 g/g (d.b.) and water activity of 0.359. Textures
properties of fruits dehydrated by the MFD process and of commercial freeze-dried banana and mango were
evaluated through puncture tests. Strain-force curves showed many peaks (jagged curve), characteristic of
crunchy and crispy foods. Furthermore, fruits dehydrated by the MFD process did not suffer drastic
shrinking. These results indicate that MFD process can be applied for producing crispy fruits, as an
alternative to freeze-drying process.

Keywords: banana; mango; multi-flash-drying; freeze-drying; texturization

INTRODUCTION
Bananas and mangoes are climacteric fruits, with significant economic importance in many tropical
countries. Both fruits are sources of carbohydrates, fibres, polyphenols with antioxidant capacity, such as
flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins [1]. The development of new technologies for the preservation and
processing of perishable fruits is necessary, in order to obtain better products and add value to them, and to
reduce losses.
The dehydration of fruits to low moisture levels and water activity inhibits microbial growth and enzymatic
activity, increasing their shelf-life. Historically, solar drying and drying with hot air (convective drying) have
been the most used. Solar drying is cheap and traditional, but it depends on the weather conditions and
requires large processing areas. Moreover, it is necessary to protect the fruits from the attack of insects and
small animals and from the contact with dirt carried by air. In convective drying is possible to control these
adverse factors and increase the average drying rate, but the sensory properties of dried fruits can be severely
damaged, due to the strong shrinking of the solid matrix and thermal degradation. Dried fruits of superior
quality can be obtained by freeze-drying, but this process is relatively expensive and require large processing
times, limiting its use to foods with higher added value [2].
A dehydration process called multi-flash-drying (MFD) was reported as suitable to produce dehydrated-and-
crisp fruits [3]. To accomplish this process, successive cycles of convective heating followed by the
application of vacuum pulses were applied to a tank containing slices of banana (Musa sapientum L.) and
mango (Mangifera indica L.). Slices of fruits were put inside a container, where they were heated up to 60 oC
and submitted to a flash evaporation. The abrupt pressure reduction induced water evaporation from the
product and its texturing. The aim of this work was to evaluate the application of a multi-flash-drying process
(MFD) to obtain dehydrated-and-crisp fruits.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Banana (Musa Sapientum L., Prata var.) and mango fruits (Mangifera indica L., Tommy Atkins var.) were
purchased in a local market (Florianpolis-SC-Brazil). The selection of fruits used in the experiments was did
according to their appearance and ripeness state, evaluated from their resistance to penetration (using a
penetrometer (Effegi Mod FT 327, =8mm, Milan, Italy) and from their soluble solids content (oBrix).
Banana samples were sliced 5 mm thick, while peeled mango samples were sliced in the parallel direction of
its fibers, in order to prepare slices 7 mm thick.
Figure 1 shows a sketch of the experimental device used to perform the dehydration of fruits by the MFD
process. The experimental apparatus consists of a jacketed container (3), with an internal volume of 0.035
m3, connected to a tank of 1 m3 (10), kept under vacuum (P=10 mbar). A stainless steel grid (2) was inserted
into the jacketed container (3) to support the fruit samples (banana or mango) during the dehydration process.
The container (3) was heated by both, hot water (98oC) circulating in its jacket (1) and by hot air injected at
its bottom (70oC). The hot air from a medical oil-free compressor (MSV 6/30 SCHULZ, Joinville, Brazil)
(4) was heated up to 98oC in a heat exchanger (5) (serpentine immersed in boiling water). The tank was
connected to a vacuum pump (11) with a pumping capacity of 350 m3/h (LC305-DVP Vacuum Technology
Italy), which was connected to a condenser (8) and to a digital vacuum gauge (14) (Multi-Range Vacuum
Gauge PIZA 111 - ILMVAC Germany) that allowed monitoring the pressure in the jacketed container (3).
Thus, fruit samples were heated up to 60oC and the pressure in the jacketed container (3) was reduced to the
same pressure of the vacuum camera (10) for 5 minutes. After this period, the atmospheric pressure was
restored in the container (3) and new cycles of heating-vacuum pulse were applied. At each drying cycle, the
moisture of fruit samples withdrawn from the grid (drier) were determined by the gravimetric method [4].
Samples water activities were determined with a hygrometer (Aqualab Model Series 3, Decagon Devices
Inc., Pullman, USA). These analyses were performed in triplicate.

Figure 1. Experimental device used to apply the multi-flash-drying process MFD. 1-container jacket; 2-grid; 3-jacketed
container; 4-air compressor; 5-serpentine; 6-thermostatic bath; 7-thermostatic bath; 8-condenser; 9-globe valve; 10-
vacuum camera; 11-vacuum pump; 12-computer with a data acquisition system; 13-temperature sensors; 14-pressure
sensor.

The amount of water evaporated from the product during the vacuum pulse can be estimated through the
Equation (1) [5]

c p .m p .T
mw = (1)
Hv
where mw is the water loss (kg), cp is the average specific heat of the product during thevacuum pulse
application (cp depends on the sample moisture content), mp is the mass of the product before the application
of the vacuum pulse (kg), T is the difference between the sample temperature before and after the vacuum
pulse application (oC) and H v is the enthalpy of vaporization of water at pressure of 10 mbar (kJ/kg).
Texture evaluations of dehydrated fruits were performed using a Texturometer (Stable Micro Systems TA-
XT2i, Surrey, UK). Puncture tests were carried out using a 2 mm diameter cylindrical probe. For samples of
dried banana a strain of 50% of its original thickness was used, while for samples of dried mango was applied
a strain of 70% of their original thickness. Force-strain curves of banana and mango dried by MFD were
compared with force-strain curves of freeze-dried fruits (banana and mango) purchased in a retail store.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Figure 2 presents the moisture content (dry basis) versus the number of cycles of multi-flash-drying
applied to samples of banana and mango. The evolution of the fruit water activity during dehydration is
shown in Figure 3.

7,00

6,00
Moisture content (g/g d.b.)

Banana
5,00
Mango
4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Number of cycles of MFD
Figure 2. Evolution of the moisture content of banana and mango samples with the number of cycles of MFD.

1,20
Banana
1,00 Mango

0,80
Water activity

0,60

0,40

0,20

0,00
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Number of cycles of MFD
Figure 3. Evolution of the water activity of banana and mango samples as function of the number of cycles of MFD.

The initial moisture of banana samples was 3.19 0.01g/g (dry basis), while for mango samples the moisture
was 5.9 0.7 g/g (d.b.). After twelve cycles of MFD (approximately 135 minutes of processing), banana
samples reached moisture content of 0.29 0.01 g/g (d.b.), while samples of mango reached 0.08 0.01 g/g
(d.b.), after approximately 210 minutes of processing. The values of water activity of dehydrated fruits after
the MFD process were 0.28 0.02 and 0.36 0.02 for banana and mango, respectively.
Samples had water losses higher than estimated by Equation 1, as expected. Since the samples are heated by
both heat transfer mechanisms, by conduction (hot water in the jacket heats the grid, which heats the fruits)
and by convection (forced hot air), the heating step is a convective drying step, responsible for approximately
80% of water evaporation. Thus, experimental results indicate that dehydration occurs by both convective-
conductive drying and flash drying. However, the sudden pressure reduction causes fruits texturization,
leading to crispy texture and finally promotes the product cooling. The water evaporation during a vacuum
pulse tends to decrease during the process, because of the lowering of the product specific heat, which
depends on the moisture content.
Results of texture tests performed for dehydrated banana and mango are presented in Figures 4 and 5,
respectively.

14 Banana dehydrated by MFD - X = 0.293 g/g (d.b.)

12 Freeze-dried banana - X = 0.274 g/g (d.b.)

10
Force (N)

0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Strain (%)

Figure 4. Strain-force curves of mango samples dehydrated by MFD and freeze-dried.

Mango dehydrated by MFD - X = 0.09 g/g (d.b.)

20
Freeze-dried mango - X = 0.08 g/g (d.b.)
18
16
14
Force (N)

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Strain (%)
Figure 5. Strain-force curves of mango samples dehydrated by MFD and freeze-dried.

In both figures are also showed the results of texture tests performed with commercial freeze-dried fruits. The
force-strain curves of samples of banana and mango dried by MFD and those of commercial freeze-dried
fruits showed similar patterns, i.e., are irregular curves. These results are characteristic of crunchy foods, due
to their brittle structure [7]. Despite the similarities, it is observed that the curves of samples dried by MFD
are more irregular than those of freeze-dried. The texturing effect of MFD dehydration formed the structure
of the final product, due to the fast water evaporation (flash evaporation). Figure 6 presents micrographies
(SEM) of mango samples dehydrated by both methods (MFD and freeze-drying). One can observe that the
MFD processing caused expansion of the product internal structure. In the case of freeze-dried product,
which uses quick freezing, ice crystals formed are small and the structure of the dehydrated product is
preserved, which is quite similar to the raw product.

(a) (b)

Figure 6. SEM micrographies (magnification of 15) of cross sections of dried mango slices. (a) freeze-dried sample (b)
sample dehydrated by MFD.

CONCLUSION
The multi-flash-drying technology allowed the achievement of dehydrated fruits with moisture content, water
activity and mechanical properties similar to those observed for commercial freeze-dried fruits. Fruits
processed by the MFD process were, at least, as crispy as the freeze-dried fruits. However, the MFD process
can be accomplished in less time (3-4 hours) and probably at lower cost. The industrial application of this
technique for many kinds of fruits is possible, but the process conditions must be carefully investigated for
each fruit, considering the characteristics of the raw material and the desired characteristics for the final
dehydrated product. Differently from puff-drying process, it is not necessary to use a pressurized container to
produce the texturization, but it also depends on the fruit properties. In this way, further studies with other
fruits are necessary for defining the process capabilities and limitations.

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