Effect of Vacuum Microwave Drying on Quality of Candied Strawberry

To investigate the effects of different microwave drying conditions on the texture and nutritional quality of candied strawberries in a vacuum environment. This study investigated the effects of three different vacuum microwave treatment conditions (2.5 w/g-1.5 h, 3.5 w/g-1 h, 4.5 w/g-0.5 h) on moisture migration characteristics, texture, microstructure, color, anthocyanins, and phenolics of candied strawberries, which were evaluated by hot air drying. The results showed that the time required for vacuum microwave drying to dry candied strawberries to 20%±2% moisture content was significantly lower than that of hot air, and the higher the microwave power, the shorter the drying time. In addition, the water in the candied strawberries obtained after drying mainly appeared in two states, namely, bound water and water not easy to flow. The relaxation time T₂ of strawberry candied strawberries obtained by vacuum microwave drying increased with the increase of microwave power, which indicated that the degree of freedom of water increased. Cross-sectional microscopic observation found that vacuum microwave drying caused cell wall rupture, and the higher the microwave power, the closer the site of fissure formation to the medullary core, and the bigger the fissure, and the smaller the porosity, whereas the cellular integrity and the porosity of the samples dried by the hot air were higher than that of microwave drying. In addition, the hardness, viscosity, and a^* value of vacuum microwave-dried dried strawberry preserves were lower than those of hot air-dried samples, but the L^* value, total sugar, anthocyanin, and phenolic content were higher. In conclusion, vacuum microwave drying had higher drying efficiency and could better retain the nutrients such as anthocyanins in candied strawberries.