Blueberryies Freeze Dryer

Blueberryies Freeze Dryer

A significant increase in highbush blueberry plantings has been observed annually. However, there is a problem with the handling of fruit that does not meet the requirements for dessert berries. One of the methods to use the fruit is drying. The research was conducted in the  Department of  Horticulture at the West  Pomeranian University  of Technology in Szczecin. The fruit was harvested at a plantation specializing in the production of highbush blueberry from irrigated and non-irrigated plots. This study aimed to assess how cutting or pricking highbush blueberry fruit affects the duration of the sublimation drying process  –  freeze-drying.  

Freeze-dried blueberries using a Blueberryies Freeze Dryer.The biological value of fresh, freeze-dried,  and rehydrated fruit was assessed. The amount of fruit left on bushes depended on the weather prevailing in the growing season, especially during the harvest period. The mass of fruit left on the bushes was approx. 1 to 2 t/ha. Although these fruits were small, they had a very high biological value. After freeze-drying and rehydration, the blueberry fruit retained its color, and high content of polyphenols and showed high antidiabetic activity and antioxidant capacity. The large fruit reached a moisture content of approx. 12%, which ensures safe storage and the appropriate texture, after 46 hours of drying, and the smaller fruit - after 32 hours. Fruit cutting or pricking reduced the drying time by half. Reducing this time decreased drying costs and increased biological value.

Long-term storage of dried fruit depends on its low moisture content. However,  removing water from the fruit to a very low level (2-3%) is not justified. This significantly prolongs the freeze-drying process and significantly increases energy consumption.  The prolongation of this time also adversely affects the aroma of the final product (Lis et al., 2004). For dried fruits,  this value should be from 18 to 23%, and for vegetables - from 8 to 12%. Such moisture content allows for the long-term storage of dried products in typical conditions.

To reduce the fruit drying time, successive portions of fruit were cut in half or pricked on the circumference.  Once so prepared,  the assumed moisture content was reached much faster than with the whole fruit. Cut fruit was dried the fastest to  12% –  the smallest ones after  16 hours, and the large ones (>8  mm)  after  22 hours.  Fruit pricking on the circumference also significantly reduced the time of this process. Regardless of their size, whole fruit required an extended freeze-drying cycle. To dry small fruit to reach 12% moisture, the freeze-drying process took 32-46 hours. Red currant fruit also required a  long sublimation drying time.

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