Plasma pretreatment’s potential energy-saving and quality benefits: The case of blueberry drying
Wang, Chenxin
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125835
Description
Title
Plasma pretreatment’s potential energy-saving and quality benefits: The case of blueberry drying
Author(s)
Wang, Chenxin
Issue Date
2024-07-19
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Wang, Yi-Cheng
Committee Member(s)
Malvandi, Amir
Cadwallader, Keith R
Department of Study
Food Science & Human Nutrition
Discipline
Food Science & Human Nutrition
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Plasma
Blueberry
Drying
Language
eng
Abstract
Blueberries are highly valued for their appealing flavor and health benefits. However, extending the shelf life of fresh blueberries, which are only available during certain seasons, beyond ten days is challenging, and transforming them into dried blueberries is one of the commonly used methods. Recognizing the time-consuming, energy cost, and negative impacts of traditional dehydration techniques on blueberries, new techniques like plasma pretreatment have been introduced as a preliminary step before the hot-air drying process to reduce damage caused by the thermal process on blueberries and preserve heat-sensitive components. Effects of plasma pretreatment on the drying process, structure changes, and chemical components of dried blueberry samples were studied by adjusting the distance between the treatment head and the surface of blueberries, as well as the treatment durations. The study demonstrated that plasma pretreatment notably enhanced the water migration, reducing the drying time for blueberries by up to 20 hours. Importantly, this treatment did not cause significant changes in the appearance and structure of dried blueberries but helped preserve more heat-sensitive chemical compounds such as vitamin C. Further research could explore the impact of plasma pretreatment on the sensory profiles of dried blueberries and other applications of the technique. Plasma treatment can be scaled up and introduced into the food industry.
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