Effects of Drying Methods on Drying Characteristics, Quality and Microstructure of Xinjiang Instant Dough Slice in Soup

The dough slice was cooked by steam microwave, the influences of microwave drying (MD), hot air drying (HD), microwave-hot air combined drying (MD-HAD), microwave-vacuum combined drying (MVD) and vacuum-freeze combined drying (VD-FD) on the drying characteristics, shear force, boiling characteristics, microstructure and organoleptic evaluation of the dough slice were researched. The results indicated that the water loss rate of the dough slice was MVD>MD>MD-HAD>HD, and the drying of the dough slice of MVD was completed in only 30 min under the conditions of minimum power, maximum load and vacuum degree. According to the shear force and boiling characteristics, MD was a better drying method, and the rehydration time was only 359.667 s. According to the microstructure, the quality of the dough slice was as following: VD-FD>MD>MVD>HD>MD-HAD. The cross section of MD dough slice had more and larger voids, which was favorable for shortening the rehydration time. The cross section of VD-FD dough slice had less voids, the size was uniform, and the distribution was uniform. According to the comprehensive sensory evaluation, the palatability, toughness, viscosity and comprehensive sensory score of MD dough slice are relatively high, indicating its good quality.