Microwave drying characteristics and drying quality analysis of corn in China

Abstract

To identify the microwave drying characteristics of corn, microwave drying tests were conducted on corn. By taking the moisture content, drying rate, and drying temperature as indices, this research revealed the effects of different microwave powers and loads on the microwave drying characteristics of corn. Moreover, energy consumption and quality of dried corn were analysed under different drying conditions. The results demonstrate that microwave drying has significant energy-saving effects. The energy consumption by microwave drying is less than 0.3 times that used by electrothermal drying under the same load. Both microwave power and load exert significant influences on drying characteristics. Higher microwave power results in a greater average drying rate, wherein shorter periods of time are required to reach the maximum drying rate and higher temperatures of the corn. However, the load shows the opposite tendency. The smaller the load, the higher the temperature of the corn in the early stage of drying. However, as drying continues, the temperature curve changes significantly, and the temperature rises with the increase in load in the later stage of drying. In consideration of energy consumption and dried quality, the load of corn should be increased as appropriate, and the microwave intensity should be limited to no higher than 0.7 W/g in the experiment.