Substantiation of criteria and methods for estimating efficiency of the electric impulse process of plant material

Abstract

One of the most effective ways to prepare for extracting or removing intracellular fluid from plant material is its electric impulse treatment at initial processing stage before squeezing juice, dehydrating raw materials, drying materials, etc. As the parameters and modes that determine this process can be identified only experimentally, a device including a high-voltage impulse generator was designed. Plant tissue damage degree was assessed by changing resistance and phase shift. Intensive juice extraction was observed when high-voltage impulses in the amount of up to 100 units were supplied to plant material. With continued processing and increase in the number of impact impulses, the intensity of juice yield decreased, and the expended energy was spent on heating the plant material. The evaluation method based on quantitative analysis of pulse shape of flowing measuring current is proposed. The designed digital control device allows confirming the dependence of measured electrophysical parameters on changes occurring in plant material caused by electric impulse processing. The designed algorithm can be used as the basis of automatic control system operation for electroimpulse processing of plant materials before pressing.