Consumption of thermal energy and quality of drying of stone fruits

Abstract

The advancement of technical and technological systems of the process of drying of stone fruits and constant improvement in the specific field do not diminish ongoing problems. Both practical and theoretic discoveries in the field of drying of stone fruits have been recently predominantly directed both towards the aspect of energy and the quality of the obtained products. The paper includes electric technical measurements of technological parameters relevant for the consumption of thermal energy within the process of drying of stone fruits. Temperature and air humidity at drying, drying speed and specific consumption of energy were primarily measured. Soluble solids content, the total and direct invert, sucrose and the total acids were recorded as quality parameters. Obtained results suggest that technical parameters of the system, primarily energetically part of the system, play key role in the energy consumption, besides the drying regime, type and method of preparation of the material.

Usvršavanje teničko-tehnoloških sistema procesa sušenja koštičavog voća i stalni napredak u toj oblasti ne umanjuje aktuelnost problema. Praktična i teorijska saznanja u vezi sušenja koštičavog voća, poslednjih godina su u dominantnoj meri usmerena na energetski aspekt i kvalitet dobijenih proizvoda. Predmet rada je obuhvatio strujno tehnička merenja tehnoloških parametra relevantnih za potrošnju toplotne energije u procesu sušenje koštičavog voća. Posebno su analizirani temperatura i relativna vlažnost vazduha za sušenje, brzina sušenja kao i specifična potrošnja energije. Kao parametri kvaliteta posmatrani su sadržaj suve materije, ukupan i direktni invert, saharoza i ukupna kiselost. Analiza dobijenih rezultata pokazuje da pored režima sušenja, vrste i načina pripreme materijala, na potrošnju energije presudnu ulogu imaju i tehnički parametri sistema, što se pre svega odnosi na energetski deo sistema.