Investigation of the physical model of the skim milk drying process in an electric field

Abstract

BACKGROUND: One of the promising approaches for the intensification of technological processes associated with food products is the use of an electric field. An effective solution to this issue requires the development of a physical model of the interaction of an electric field with a raw material of biological origin, taking into account its characteristics and processes occurring at the macro- and the microlevels. AIM: To develop a physical model of the interaction of an electric field with a raw material of biological origin, taking into account its characteristics and processes occurring at the macro- and microlevels. Evaluation of the efficiency of using the electric field and their influence on the processed product. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A physical model was developed for the drying of skimmed milk in an electric field using a complex method, including experimental studies and a systematic approach to the processing and substantiation of the results and conclusions. RESULTS: The electrokinetic phenomenon of microelectroosmosis, which involves the movement of a liquid along the microcapillaries of a porous structure under the action of an electric field was confirmed experimentally. The nature of the kinetics of the process of liquid movement through microcapillaries and its dependence on the parameters of the electric field was experimentally established. The quantitative variation of the height and the rate of rise of the liquid rise along microcapillaries as a function of time was determined for different frequencies of applied electrical impulses. CONCLUSIONS: The complex model of the convective drying process suggests that the process of drying could be controlled and accelerated by the application of electric pulses due to microelectroosmosis, which activates the transformation of liquid (milk) along the internal (channels) capillaries of the dried particles of skimmed milk powder from the center to its surface.