Perspectives of pulsed electric field application for larvae biomass drying

Abstract

The perspectives of pulsed electric field (PEF) application for larvae biomass drying are considered. Drying process optimization was carried out using two-way analysis of variance in the range of applied specific energy input of from 0 up to 20 kJ/kg and drying temperature of from 50 up to 90°С. It was found out that application of pulsed electric field treatment allowed marked decreasing of larvae biomass drying time from 183 to 124 minutes for the samples treated with electric filed intensity of E = 2 kV/cm and specific energy of 20 kJ/kg. Based on the obtained experimental data the optimal drying and PEF treatment parameters for larvae biomass were determined for the ranges of drying temperature – 82–85℃ and specific energy input – 4.1–6.6 kJ/kg.