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The increased use of vacuum microwave drying in food industry is attributed to shorter drying time and lower temperature. The temperature change of materials is difficult to model due to the vacuum condition. A simplified mathematical model is presented subject to some assumptions to predict the temperature distribution in slices made using a mixture of potato and apple purées. Dielectric loss factors of mixed slices were found to increase with temperature and water content. The model accounts for temperature and moisture-dependent dielectric loss factor which yields a useful predictive tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the quality of freeze-dried dumplings, a novel hybrid strategy that different cooking methods combined with chitosan coating were applied in the preparation of dumplings. The dumplings, obtained according to the formula, first treated by three different cooking methods (microwave, boiling, and steaming), respectively, and then coated with chitosan with a mass fraction of 1.5%. The dumplings without coating treatment was used as control group. Results showed that, the drying time of steamed dumplings was the shortest (720 min), but its whiteness and rehydration performance were unacceptable to consumers. The whiteness of boiled dumplings was the highest, but its drying time was 90 min longer than that of steamed dumplings. The freeze-dried dumplings pretreated by microwave cooking had the best rehydration performance (rehydration rate, cracking rate of rehydrated dumplings, and rehydration loss rate) and hardness. Chitosan coating treatment of cooked dumplings was been found to have a satisfactory positive effect on inhibiting the cracking rate of freeze-dried dumplings, the cracking rate of rehydrated dumplings and the rehydration loss rate of freeze-dried dumplings. Microwave cooking combined with chitosan coating was considered to be the most suitable hybrid strategy for the production of high-quality freeze-dried dumplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fast pace of life around the globe and the increasing demand for high-quality convenience foods by consumers, instant foods have attracted widespread attention. By adjusting the process and formula, the quality of compound formula foods can be optimized. Drying is a common way. However, conventional drying methods have some shortcomings. Freeze drying can overcome most of them. Foam mat freeze-drying can increase the drying area of materials, and the drying efficiency of it is also higher. For thermal-sensitive materials, it is a suitable drying method. Microwave freeze drying, infrared drying, and others are relatively new processing technologies that are suitable for the production of instant foods. This paper provides an overview of recent developments in processing technologies for the production of compound formula instant foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professor Min Zhang presented the Food Drying Application Excellence Award to Professor Sun Jincai. Professor Gu Zhengbiao (Vice President of Jiangnan University), Professor Wu Bin (Director of Science and Technology Committee of China Astronaut Research and Training Center) and Professor Arun S. Mujumdar (Honorary Chairman of the Conference) attended (via video participation) the opening ceremony with welcome speeches (Figure 2). [Extracted from the article]