Open AccessCOMPARISON OF TWO MICROWAVE DRYING TECHNIQUES FOR CEREAL SEEDS AND DETERMINATION OF THEIR PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
Author(s) -
P. Cârlescu,
Marius Băetu,
Virginia CIOBANU,
Ioan Ţenu,
Radu Roşca
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied life sciences and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2784-0379
pISSN - 2784-0360
DOI - 10.46909/journalalse-2021-019
Subject(s) - microwave , moisture , shrinkage , microwave power , materials science , water content , agronomy , environmental science , pulp and paper industry , composite material , biology , engineering , telecommunications , geotechnical engineering
The microwave drying of wheat and corn seeds by two technologies at different working powers is studied here. The main objective is to evaluate the effect of microwaves on variations in the moisture, colour and size of the seeds after microwave drying. The tests are performed in microwave ovens with and without inverter technology at three drying powers (260, 440 and 620 W). It has been observed that increasing drying power results in a ~50% reduction in drying time and a seed moisture level below 14%. The colour variation of the seeds is insignificant between microwave drying with and without the inverter. However, there is also an unacceptable decrease in size for both types of seeds with increasing drying power, which can lead to increased shrinkage of the seeds and the appearance of cracks, especially in the corn seeds.