Heat-pump-assisted microwaves drying of white-leg shrimp: Parameter optimization and quality assessment

Abstract

The response surface methodology (RSM) is used to optimize the drying process of Vietnamese white-leg shrimp utilizing a heat pump (HP) combined with microwaves (MW). The study's main objective was to evaluate the dried white-leg shrimp quality in terms of final product moisture, rehydration rate, and shrinkage rate of dried shrimp as a function of drying parameters. The primary optimal factors influencing the upon goal are drying temperature (25 ÷ 35 °C), drying air velocity (1 ÷ 2 m/s), drying time (20 ÷ 40 minutes), and microwave power (1.4 ÷ 2.8 W/g). The results illustrated that the optimal parameters for the white-leg shrimp drying process with the HP-MW method for the best product quality were drying temperature T of 29.34 °C, microwave power MW of 2.08 W/g drying airspeed V of 1.50 m/s, drying time TM of 37.574 minutes. Drying air relative humidity ranges from 15% to 17%, characterized by a maximum desirability function of 0.979. Besides, the experimental study results also demonstrated the finished product value: shrimp shrinkage rate was 22.30%, the rehydration rate was 2.38, and the final moisture of white shrimp was 21.114%. Research results also demonstrate that increased microwave power affected shrimp's color and drying time. This work would promote the development of the technical extent of designing microwave-assisted heat pump dryers applicable for drying seafood with high economic value shortly.