Ultrasound-assisted convective drying of apples at different process conditions

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article was to study the influence of drying parameters like air temperature and velocity on the effectiveness of convective (CV) and ultrasound-assisted convective drying. The apple samples were used as the testing material by drying at air temperatures of 313 and 323 K and three different air velocities: 2, 3, and 4 m/s. The drying kinetics, the quality of dried products, and the energy consumption in each drying process were analyzed. The model of drying elaborated by authors was performed to estimate numerically the effect of ultrasound enhancement of convective drying. It was found that application of ultrasound significantly accelerates the CV drying, mainly due to “vibration effect,” and the values of drying parameters like air temperature and velocity affect the drying effectiveness in a different way.