ARS | Publication request: Infrared radiation dry blanching.

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: April 1, 2010
Publication Date: August 1, 2010
Citation: Pan, Z., Atungulu, G.G. 2010. Infrared radiation dry blanching. In: Infrared Heating for Food and Agricultural Processing. Editors Zhongli Pan and Griffiths G. Atungulu. Contemporary Food Engineering. Taylor & Francis Group Publishers. p 169-201.

Technical Abstract: For most processed fruits and vegetables, blanching is essential to inactivate the enzymes responsible for quality deterioration of fruits and vegetables in storage. Blanching also serves the purposes of microbial population reduction, color stabilization, and facilitation for further processing and handling. This chapter describes a newer method of simultaneous infrared (IR) dry-blanching and dehydration (SIRDBD) that utilizes efficient IR heating to combine blanching and dehydration into a one step process which is simpler and more energy efficient than conventional methods. During the IR heating, IR radiation energy with specific wavelengths penetrates into product and directly heats water or desired components to achieve the purposes of blanching and drying. Water absorbs heat energy very efficiently in the range of medium and far IR wavelengths with peak wavelengths at 3, 4.7 and 6 microns. Since the medium and far IR energy does not heat the air and medium, the energy transfer is highly efficient. In this chapter, the applications of IR energy for blanching is reviewed and discussed in details. The uses and advantages of IR dry-blanching for fruits and vegetables are discussed with specific case study references. The development status and propelling merit of the SIRDBD as a dry-blanching process that uses no water or steam contrary to the conventional methods are clearly demonstrated for this novel and promising technology in the fruits and vegetable industry.