Benefits of microwave drying technology in food production and preservation

Application of high-frequency wave technology to help with drying in food processing and preservation is one of the outstanding initiatives introduced by the Center for Information and Statistics – Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City on 19 April.

This highly applicable project was researched by Dr. Nguyen Dinh Uyen and master Tran Van Su, Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, International University, National University of Ho Chi Minh City for a long time.

“The advantage of microwave drying technology is that the heat is infused with microwaves so that all ingredients in the product are dried in a very short time. This method not only saves energy but also preserves most of the original nutrients and colors of agricultural products and foods,” said Master Tran Van Su.

In addition, the ultra-high frequency wave also can approve two types of harmful bacteria: E.coli and Salmonella in agricultural products and foods.

According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Uyen, who used to work in the US Aerospace Agency (NASA), ultra-high frequency waves have been widely used to kill bacteria in the medical industry for a long time. Currently, ultra-high frequency waves are applied in many fields such as bactericidal for food, fruit drying, wood drying, and killing insects in rice or beans, etc.

In Vietnam, microwave technology has been imported by a large number of domestic enterprises from abroad, but due to the high cost, the majority of small businesses and farmers still do not have access to this technology.

Currently, this research project has been put into production and applied by the International Industrial Machinery and Equipment Joint Stock Company and has been installed and tested in some enterprises.

At the company producing and processing bottled bird’s nest in Song Yen, instead of taking 60 minutes to sterilize bacteria and germs, microwave technology is only finished within 5 minutes.

The productivity of the entire production system also increased from 10,000 bottles/8 hours to 19,200 bottles/8 hours, saving 360 million VND/month of production costs.

Engineer Dao Quoc Hung, General Director of International Industrial Machinery and Equipment Joint Stock Company, believes that this will be a high-quality product to shorten the drying time of the product, save energy and take reasonable price.

Microwave drying equipment can be flexibly installed, fixed or installed on mobile platforms, on containers and very clean, environmentally friendly. This device is suitable for drying agricultural products such as mangoes, jackfruit, peanuts, cashews, cocoa beans, etc.

In the near future, International Industrial Machinery and Equipment Joint Stock Company will be put into mass production to minimize costs so that small businesses and farmers can access this new technology.

Productivity and Quality Office