HIGH-MOISTURE MATERIALS DRYING METHOD Russian patent published in 2007 - IPC F26B3/30 F26B7/00 

FIELD: drying processes and equipment of high-moisture vegetable and animal origin materials such as vegetables, fruits, medical plants, meat, fish, vegetable greens with use of IR heating by means of IR irradiators operating in pulse mode of heating-cooling.

SUBSTANCE: method comprises steps of preparing raw materials by washing, disintegrating, laying materials by layer on trough and irradiating it by means of IR irradiation till predetermined value of moisture content. According to invention drying is realized in drying chamber at heating-cooling pulse mode with wavelength range 1.2 - 10 micrometers and with flux intensity 6 -15 kWt/m² for time period 3 - 11 s in order to achieve limit temperature 55- 60°C in chamber. Cooling is realized for 9.0 -33.0 s till achieving temperature 45 - 50°C in chamber. Method provides vitamin content 50 -80 % in dried material without destroying protein structure.

EFFECT: lowered energy consumption, accelerated drying process due to pulse mode of heating -cooling, removal of evaporated moisture and material cooling by forced ventilation, improved quality of products due to high vitamin content in them provided by regulation of intensity of IR irradiation flux, time period of irradiation and by uniform distribution of irradiation due to using reflectors.

2 dwg