Effects of infrared heating as an emerging thermal technology on physicochemical properties of foods

Infrared (IR) radiation is part of an electromagnetic spectrum between the ultraviolet and microwave regions. IR radiation impacts the surface of the food, generating heat that can be used as an efficient drying technique. Apart from drying, IR heating is an emerging food processing technology with applications in baking, roasting, microbial inactivation, insect control, extraction for antioxidant recovery, peeling, and blanching. Physicochemical properties such as texture, color, hardness, total phenols, and antioxidants capability of foods are essential quality attributes that affect the food quality. In this regard, the main objective of this review study was to highlight and discuss the effects of IR heating on food quality to expand its food applications and commercial adoption. The fundamental mechanisms, type of emitters, and IR processing parameters are discussed in this review to explore their impacts on food quality. Infrared heating has been shown that the appropriate operating conditions (distance, exposure time, IR power, and temperature) with high heat transfer, thus leading to a shorter drying time. Besides, IR heating used in food processing to improve food-surface color and flavor, it also enhances hardness, firmness, shrinkage, crispiness, and viscosity. Meanwhile, antioxidant activity is enhanced, and some nutrients are retained.

Technologies for disinfection of food grains: Advances and way forward

Growing demand from the consumers for minimally processed and high-quality food products has raised the scientific quest for foods with improved natural flavours in conjunction with a restricted supplement of additives. In this context, achieving quality and safe food grains and the identification of suitable processing and disinfection technologies have also become the key issues. Microbial contamination is one of the major reasons responsible for the spoilage of food grains. Various sources of contamination such as air and water (both contaminated with dust and dirt), animals (insects, birds, rodents), environmental conditions (rainfall, drought, temperature), unhygienic handling, harvesting, processing equipment and improper storage conditions are responsible for the microbial spoilage of food grains. In order to maintain the food grains safe and un-contaminated, several food processing technologies have been explored and implemented, with the ultimate purpose of maintaining the safety, freshness and nutritional attributes of the food products. Among these technologies, microwave, radiofrequency, infrared, ohmic heating, novel drying methods along with non-thermal methods such as cold plasma, irradiation, ozonation and nanotechnology have attracted much attention because of considerable reduction in the overall processing time with minimum energy consumption. This review aims to discuss the advances involving the said technologies for controlling the microbial contamination of food grains in accordance with their inactivation. Current research status of the thermal and non-thermal emerging technologies for the preservation of food grains as well as perspectives for further research in this area are also elaborated in detail.

The effect of infrared drying to the microstructural structure and texture of whole Duku intact skin by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique

The Infrared method has the potential to extend the shelf life of duku fruit by drying the duku’s skin into "shell likeness". Duku’s skin drying using infrared method could change the shape and characteristics of duku’s skin which would significantly affect the length of fruit shelf life. The texture of duku’s skin for the treatment of infrared emitter distance of 6 cm, temperature of 400 °C and exposure time of 80 seconds was increasing with the storage time which made the fruit inside the skin to experience a passive modified atmosphere and increase the shelf life of duku. The 3D visual depiction of the optimization result on drying process using infrared had the largest porosity and cavity value in the treatment of infrared emitter distance of 10 cm, temperature of 300 °C, and exposure time of 80 seconds. At the magnification of 2500 times, with a resolution of 10 mm, it was found that the porosity and thickness of the duku’s void were greater than duku fruit without treatment. The result of the porosity also found that drying process with the infrared emitter distance of 6 cm at temperature of 400 °C, and exposure time of 80 seconds has more stable porosity (without collapsing) which confirmed the result found on the texture of the skin. The results of scanning electron microscopy analysis and 3D visual analysis confirmed the results of optimization that had previously performed in the drying process of duku fruit using infrared method.

S. Al-HiIphy A, Yi-Chen L, Cacciola F. A Comprehensive Review on Infrared Heating Applications in Food Processing

Infrared (IR) technology is highly energy-efficient, less water-consuming, and environmentally friendly compared to conventional heating. Further, it is also characterized by homogeneity of heating, high heat transfer rate, low heating time, low energy consumption, improved product quality, and food safety. Infrared technology is used in many food manufacturing processes, such as drying, boiling, heating, peeling, polyphenol recovery, freeze-drying, antioxidant recovery, microbiological inhibition, sterilization grains, bread, roasting of food, manufacture of juices, and cooking food. The energy throughput is increased using a combination of microwave heating and IR heating. This combination heats food quickly and eliminates the problem of poor quality. This review provides a theoretical basis for the infrared treatment of food and the interaction of infrared technology with food ingredients. The effect of IR on physico-chemical properties, sensory properties, and nutritional values, as well as the interaction of food components under IR radiation can be discussed as a future food processing option.

Optimization of infrared drying condition for whole duku fruit using response surface methodology

Duku (Lansium domesticum), tropical exotic fruit, was successfully preserved by drying using exposure to infrared radiation emitters. Response surface methodology (RSM) is used to optimize independent variables (IRE distance of 6 cm and 10 cm, IRE temperature of 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C, and IRE exposure time of 50 s, 60 s, 70 s, and to produce response variables (weight loss, fruit firmness, titratable acidity, total soluble solid, and browning index).  It could be concluded from the optimization performed that drying duku skin in a whole fruit by exposing the fruit to the infrared emitter resulted in a duku fruit with a relatively good physical and chemical conditions and still be consumable. The IRE distance of 6 cm gave a desirability value of 0.80 while the IRE distance of 10 cm gave a desirability value of 0.92 however the IRE distance of6 cm gave a better storage time.  The IRE distance of 6 cm has an optimum value of weight loss 2.2%; optimum value of fruit firmness of 40.92 N; optimum value of total soluble solid of 17.48 brix; optimum value of titratable acidity of 0.33%; and optimum value of browning index of 0.9. The fitting model base on RSM resulted from this research indicated that this study could be used as the basis for alternative process in food processing of duku but still need further research to increase the shelf life and a better result in the chemical and physical characteristics of duku.

Effect of infrared radiation on chemical and physical properties on Duku’s peel

Infrared radiation has a potential for drying agricultural commodities such as the peel of duku. Drying of duku's peel in a whole duku using infrared radiation could become an effective method to eliminate the water on the peel but not in the flesh and could increase the shelf life of duku. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of using infrared radiation for drying the peel of duku which would increase the shelf life of duku during storage. Duku's peel drying process was achieved by means of heating duku using a pairs of electric infrared emitters (IRE) facing each other with the emitter distance of 6 cm and 10 cm for a relatively short heating time of 50, 60, 70 and 80 seconds and after that stored at a cool room at the temperature of 15 °C for the length of one month. During storage, the physical and chemical changes of duku were then evaluated. It was found that the weight loss, fruit firmness, and total soluble solid of duku dried by means of exposing to Infra Red Emitter (IRE) were significantly affected by the distance of IRE, the temperature of IRE and the time exposed to IRE. However the titratable acidity only affected significantly by the distance of IRE. There were no significantly changes of browning index on duku during drying by exposing to IRE and while stored up to 25th day of storage. Drying duku by exposing it to IRE show a slightly better shelf life than the previous work.

Reducing Sugar Production in Sweet Potatoes Heated by Electromagnetic Radiation

The apparent reaction rate constant needed to generate reducing sugar was determined by heating a thin slice of sweet potato using thermal conductive heating. This value was used to predict reducing sugar production in sweet potatoes cooked by electromagnetic irradiation. The generation of reducing sugar in the thin slice was not observed at temperatures <65°C or >85°C, but it increased linearly during the early stage of heating. The Arrhenius plot had a peak of approximately 83°C, allowing determination of the values for activation energy and frequency factor. Then, using the values obtained for apparent reaction rate constant, the yields of reducing sugar in sweet potatoes cooked by infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) heating were calculated and compared with experimental data. Although the calculated values exceeded the experimental values in the early stages of electromagnetic irradiative heating, the calculated amounts of reducing sugar generally agreed with the experimental values. Moreover, when the time needed to heat the sweet potato from 65°C to 85 °C was longer than approximately 8 min, the yield of reducing sugar was maximized for both MW and IR heating. These results indicated that the yield of reducing sugar did not depend on the heat transfer mechanism and that the amount of reducing sugar produced in heat-treated sweet potatoes could be predicted.