The thesis provides comparative analysis for the process of drying cultivated mushrooms using convective, thermoradiation, conductive, convective-thermoradiation, and conductive-thermoradiation energy supply methods based on theoretical and experimental research. Rational technological parameters of drying cultivated mushrooms are defined, which allow for power consumption reduction with maximum preservation of biologically active substances and process duration reduction.
Scientifically justified the combination of convective and thermoradiation methods, which, providing the required quality of treatment and efficiency of equipment, made it possible to substantially reduce power consumption as compared to traditional equipment usage.
An experimental drying facility, which allowed the drying process to be carried out using different methods of power supply and their combinations was developed and manufactured.
It was established that the main factors that influence the behavior of the heating process of mushrooms are temperature of the heat-transfer agent, velocity of the heat-transfer agent, power of infrared tubular electric heating elements, specific load, and distance from tubular electric heating elements to the material.
In the thesis, a comparative analysis of energy parameters of convective-thermoradiation, convective, and thermoradiation methods of drying mushrooms in terms of different parameters was performed.
Results of research of sorption properties of cultivated mushrooms dried by different methods in different temperature ranges are presented. An analysis of the results of experimental studies shows that in convective and thermo-radiation methods the samples are identical to the porous structure, whereas in the convective thermo-radiation method dried cultivated mushrooms have a larger pore volume.
Processes that occur during storage of dried cultivated mushrooms by the convective thermoradiation method are substantiated and experimentally determined. Terms of their storage and influence of packaging material type on their prolongation are established.
It is established that in convective thermo-radiation method of drying cultivated mushrooms mass transfer coefficient increases in comparison with the convective drying method, and that power of infrared TENs has a determining influence on mass transfer and heat transfer coefficients.
On the basis of a full factor experiment method, a plan with the corresponding matrices of experimental planning is compiled and the number of experiments and boundaries of factor changes are indicated. Due to statistical processing of data, regression equation is obtained, which is adequate to the studied process of drying cultured fungi. The normalization of equation allowed us to obtain a mathematical model that allows us to calculate the total protein content with an error Δ = 0.017%.
Obtained constructive, technological and techno-economic parameters of the developed processes and equipment resulted in efficiency of their use in food industry.
Evaluation of techno-economic indicators of the developed convective thermo-radiation dryer has revealed two main effects in comparison with the base infrared dryer: energy saving and decrease in number of infrared TENs, determining the annual economic effect of introduction of one machine.
Thesis research results were introduced in the educational process of training specialists in “Food Technology and Engineering” field and during the study of “Processes and Apparatuses of Food Productions” discipline.
