Effect of Pretreatments on Drying Characteristics of Okra.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different pretreatment methods (blanching, microwave, and pulsed electric field [PEF]) on drying and rehydration behavior of okra. Drying rates were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by the different pretreatments. The control samples had the lowest coefficient of diffusivity while samples pretreated with PEF at maximum energy input (4 kV/cm, 500 nF) had the highest coefficient. A simple exponential model used for describing the drying behavior of okra gave moisture diffusivity values ranging between 4.56 × 10-10 and 8.05 × 10-10 m2/s and the coefficient of determination values were between 0.94 and 0.98. Rehydration capacities of the control and pretreated samples were significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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