Drying Technology, 27: 12661273, 2009

Copyright # 2009 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0737-3937 print=1532-2300 online
DOI: 10.1080/07373930903267773

Microwave, Vacuum, and Air Drying Characteristics

of Collard Leaves
Ilknur Alibas
Uludag University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery, Bursa, Turkey

Collard leaves (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) with an

initial moisture content of 6.65 on percentage dry basis (%db) were
dried by three different drying methods: microwave, air, and
vacuum. Samples of fresh leaves, 25 g each, were dried until their
moisture was down to 0.1 on a dry basis. The following drying levels
were used in each of the drying processes: 350, 500, 650, 750, 850,
and 1000 W for microwave drying; 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and 175
C
for air drying; and 0.4, 50, and 100 mmHg at 50 and 75
C for
vacuum drying, respectively. Drying times ranged between 2.5 to
7.5 min, 8 to 210 min, and 35 to 195 min for microwave, air, and
vacuum drying, respectively. The data obtained compared well with
a thin-layer drying model. Microwave drying at 750 W provided
optimal results with respect to drying time, color, and ascorbic acid
content (vitamin C).
Keywords Air drying; Collard; Microwave drying; Vacuum
drying

INTRODUCTION
Collard (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), is a
cool-season vegetable that is rich in vitamins and minerals.
Hiding under the green chlorophyll pigment is an excellent
source of beta carotene, vitamin C, and calcium. The
darker the leaf, the more beta carotene it contains.
The antioxidants and phytochemicals in collard help
reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and heart disease.
Collard contains very small amounts of fat and sodium.
Collard is rich in nutrients that can meet an important part
of daily nutrient demand of human beings.[1]
Collard rapidly perishes after harvest and is consumed
only in season. Drying is one of the storage methods that
can extend the consumption period of collards, in addition
to maintaining its nutrition content. It is the process of
removing the moisture in the product up to a certain
threshold value by evaporation. In this way, the product
can be stored for a long period, because the activities of
the microorganisms, enzymes, or ferments in the material
are suppressed via drying.[24]

Correspondence: Ilknur Alibas, Uludag University, Faculty of

Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Machinery, 16059
Bursa, Turkey; E-mail: ialibas@uludag.edu.tr

Different drying methods are used in the drying of fruits

and vegetables. Hot air drying is the most common method
in the drying of foodstuffs. However, this method leads to
serious injury such as the worsening of the taste, color, and
nutritional content of the dry product; decline in density
and water absorbance capacity; as well as shift of the
solutes from the internal part of the drying material to
the surface, due to the long drying period and high temperature.[5,6] Other adverse effects include water rehydration capacity and movement of the drying material. The
most common method used in the drying of foodstuffs is
convective drying. Nevertheless, this method has a number
of disadvantages such as very long drying period and high
energy consumption.[7] The use of microwaves for drying
has become widespread because it minimizes the decline
in quality and provides rapid and effective heat distribution
in the material as well.[8,9] Furthermore, high-quality product is obtained via microwave drying in addition to the
decline in drying period and energy conservation during
drying.[10]
Microwave drying leads to a water vapor pressure gradient between the surface and internal part of the material, as
in conventional drying methods. Microwave energy applications in the drying of vegetables have several advantages,
including the shortening of drying time,[11] a homogenous
energy distribution on the material, and formation of suitable dry product characteristics due to the increase in temperature in the center of the material.[10,12] Among the
other benets of using microwave drying are inhibition of
high surface temperatures, continuation of the product
respiration, lowered product temperatures when combined
with vacuum drying, reduction in the loss of water-soluble
components, and energy savings.[13]
Vacuum drying is a technique employed for drying of
various food products for better retention of their color
and vitamin content.[14] Vacuum enhances the mass transfer due to an increased pressure gradient between the inside
and outside of the sample. It maintains a low temperature
level essential for thermolabile products as well.[15] Better
product quality with respect to traits such as taste, avor,
and rehydration can be retained via high vacuum treatment.

1266

MICROWAVE, VACUUM, AND AIR DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLARD LEAVES

The key benets of vacuum drying include lower process

temperatures, less energy usage and hence greater energy
efciency, improved drying rates, and, in some cases, less
shrinkage of the product.[16] Vacuum drying has been successfully applied to many fruits and vegetables and other
heat-sensitive foods. Vacuum-dried materials are characterized by better quality retention of nutrients and volatile
aroma. However, the cost of the process is high.
Air-drying techniques have proved to be effective for
a number of agricultural products such as red chilli,[17]
kale,[18] chard,[19] and nettle leaves.[5] Microwave-drying
techniques have proved to be effective for a number of agricultural products such as banana,[20] parsley,[21] chard,[19]
spinach,[2,22,23] and okra.[3,7,9] Vacuum drying techniques
have proved to be effective for a number of agricultural
products such as mango pulp,[24] Indian gooseberry
akes,[14] and nettle leaves.[5]
The aim of this study was to (1) evaluate the efcacy of
microwave, air, and vacuum drying techniques for collard
leaves; (2) compare empirical ndings obtained during
the drying of collard with values obtained with a thin-layer
drying model; (3) determine changes in the color values of
the product after drying; and (4) determine the changes in
the ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content of the product after
drying, and (5) determine the optimum drying method
for the drying of collard.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
Plants of fresh collard (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) used in the drying experiments were provided from
Gursu County, Bursa. They were stored at a temperature
of 4  0.5
C until the drying process.[7,9,21,23] Three different samples, each 25 g, were kept in the drying oven at
105
C for 24 h,[9,23] after which the moisture content of
collard fell down to 6.65  0.07 on a dry basis.
Drying Equipment and Drying Method
Fresh collard leaves were pretreated in a chamber of a
steam cooker (Raks Buharlim, Manisa, Turkey) before
drying to reduce enzymatic changes. In order to prevent
color change, the cooker was set to produce 100
C steam
and the collard leaves were exposed to steam for 30 s.[19]
Microwave- and air-drying treatments were performed
in a domestic digital combine oven (Arcelik MD 592,
Kocaeli, Turkey); 230 V, 50 Hz, and 2900 W. The microwave oven has the capability of operating at eight different
microwave power levels, viz. 90, 160, 350, 500, 650, 750,
850, and 1000 W. The air blast oven has the capability of
operating at nine different temperature stages, which are
50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, and 250
C at 1 m=s
air velocity. The area on which microwave and air drying
was carried out was 327  370  207 mm in size and

1267

consisted of a rotating glass plate with 280 mm diameter

at the base of the oven. The glass plate rotated for
5 min1 and the direction of 360
rotation could be changed by pressing the on=off button. Time adjustment was
done with the aid of a digital clock located on the oven.
Desired drying temperature was maintained by Quick Heat
option in the drying process. When the oven reached the
desired temperature, the oven temperature was kept constant by a thermostat connected to the system. The drying
temperature of the convective oven could be reached after
every weight measured within 5 s. The fan is located in the
center of the back wall of the oven. The entry and exit of
the air circulating in the oven was through air channels
in the upper part of the oven.
Vacuum drying treatment was performed in a
laboratory-type vacuum oven (Nuve EV 0180, Turkey)
with technical features of 220 V, 50 Hz, 3.5 A, and 800 W.
The temperature of vacuum oven was sensitive to temperatures ranging from 1 to 250
C. The area on which vacuum
drying was carried out was 300  200  250 mm in size. An
analogous vacuum meter indicates the vacuum value in
terms of mmHg exists on the vacuum oven. Time adjustment was done with the aid of a programmable clock
located on the oven.
Six different experimental designs were formed for each
one of the three drying methods tested. Microwave drying
was carried out at six different microwave generation
powers, 1000, 850, 750, 650, 500, and 350 W. The airdrying trial was carried out at six different temperatures,
50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and 175
C. Six different vacuumtemperature combinations were obtained in vacuum trials
by combining three different vacuum levels; i.e., 0.4, 50,
and 100 mmHg, and two different temperature regimes at
50 and 75
C, and the trials were realized under the combinations of 50
C=0.4 mmHg, 50
C=50 mmHg, 50
C=100 mmHg,
75
C=0.4 mmHg, 75
C=50 mmHg, and 75
C=100 mmHg.
A
laboratory-type
vacuum
pump
(Carpanelli
MMDE80B4, Bologna, Italy) was used in the vacuumdrying trials under operating conditions of 220=240 V,
50=60 Hz, and 5.1=4.8 A. The vacuum pump is reached
to the lowest vacuum value within 20 s.
Collard leaves for testing were 25 (0.03) g in weight and
were selected from the uniform, healthy plants. Three replicated tests were conducted for each drying condition and
mean moisture content from those three tests as a function
of drying time were reported. Collard leaves were removed
from the oven periodically (every 30 s for microwave drying
and every 5 min for vacuum and air drying) during the drying
period, and the moisture loss was determined by weighing the
plate using a digital balance (Sartorius EX 2000A, Goettingen, Germany) with 0.01 g precision.[7,19,21,22] All weighing
processes were completed in 10 s during the drying process.
The following semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1)) was
used to describe the thin-layer drying kinetics of collard

1268

ALIBAS

leaves,[19,21,25] where MR is the moisture ratio; X is the

moisture content db; Xe is the equilibrium moisture content
db; X0 is the initial moisture content db; t is the time in
min; k is the drying constant in min1; and n is the dimensionless exponent.
MR

X  Xe
expktn
X0  Xe

Acsorbic Acid
Ascorbic acid content was determined by exposing
fruit samples to oxalic acid extraction (0.4%). The
absorbency values were calculated at 520 nm in the
spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-120-01; Shimadzu
Co., Duisburg, Germany).[2]
Color Parameters
Leaf color was determined by three readings on the two
different symmetrical faces of the leaf in each replicate,
using a Minolta CR 300 colorimeter (Konica-Minolta,
Osaka, Japan), calibrated with a white standard tile. The
color brightness coordinate L measures the whiteness value
of a color and ranges from black at 0 to white at 100. The
chromaticity coordinate a measures red when positive and
green when negative, and the chromaticity coordinate b
measures yellow when positive and blue when negative.
Also, the chroma C (Eq. (2)) and hue angle a (Eq. (3)) were
calculated from the values for L, a, b and used to describe
the color change during drying:[2,21]
C

p
a2 b2
1

a tan b=a

2
3

Data Analysis
The research was conducted using randomized plots
factorial experimental design. Determination of the investigated components was carried out in three replicates. Mean
differences were tested for signicance by using an LSD
(MSTAT-C) test at 1 and 5% levels of signicance.
Nonlinear regression analysis was performed using
NLREG (NLREG version 6.3) to estimate the parameters
k and n of the semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1)). Regression results include the coefcients for the equation, standard
error of estimate (SEE), and coefcient of determination R2.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Drying Curves
Microwave Drying Curves
Microwave drying trials were conducted at the microwave output power values of 350, 500, 650, 750, 850, and
1000 W. A moisture-time diagram of collard along the

FIG. 1. Microwave drying curve of collard leaves on a dry basis;

1000 W; &, 850 W; ^, 750 W;
, 650 W;  , 500 W; -, 350 W.

~,

drying period on a dry basis is given in Fig. 1. As seen in

Fig. 1, a reduction in drying time occurred with the increasing microwave power level. The drying periods of collard
leaves with a moisture content of 6.65 dry basis initially
until leaf moisture content fell to 0.1 on a dry basis were
7.5, 6, 5, 4, 3.5 and 2.5 min, at microwave output powers
of 350, 500, 650, 750, 850, and 1000 W, respectively. Drying
period of the leaves decreased with the increasing
microwave power level.[2,3,7,9,19,2123,26] The drying time at
350 W microwave power levels was three times longer
than that of 1000 W. The drying time was reduced by 84
times in the drying treatment realized at 50
C compared
with the drying treatment realized at 1000 W microwave
power.
The drying rates (kg [H2O] kg1 [DM] min1) under different microwave power levels are given in Fig. 2. Average
drying rates during the drying of collard leaves at the
microwave output powers of 350, 500, 650, 750, 850, and
1000 W were 0.647, 0.739, 0.891, 1.008, 1.211, and
1.302 kg (H2O) kg1 (DM) min1, respectively. The moisture content of the material was very high during the initial
phase of the drying, which resulted in a higher absorption
of microwave power and higher drying rates due to the
higher moisture diffusion. As drying progressed, the loss
of moisture in the product caused a decrease in the
absorption of microwave power and resulted in a fall in
the drying rate. Drying rates increased with the increasing
microwave power levels. Therefore, microwave power
level has an important effect on the drying rates.
These ndings are in agreement with previous
studies.[2,1921,25]
Air-Drying Curves
A moisture-time diagram of collard along the drying
period on a dry basis is given in Fig. 3. As seen in Fig. 3,
a reduction in drying time occurred with increasing

MICROWAVE, VACUUM, AND AIR DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLARD LEAVES

FIG. 2. Microwave drying rates of the collard leaves at different microwave power levels; ~, 1000 W; &, 850 W; ^, 750 W;
, 650 W;  , 500 W; -,
350 W.

temperature. Air-drying trials were realized at 50, 75, 100,

125, 150, and 175
C air temperatures. The time required
for the lowering of moisture content of collard levels to
0.1 levels, from 6.65 on a dry basis, varied between 8 and
210 min depending on the temperature level. Drying period
of the leaves decreased with the increasing temperature.[5,11,18,19] The drying time obtained in the drying process using 175
C temperature was 25 times shorter than
that at 50
C.
During the drying of 25 g of collard leaves at six different temperatures, a total of 21.4 (0.02) g of weight loss
occurred from each drying sample. The drying rates (kg
[H2O] kg1 [DM] min1) obtained in unit time under different temperature levels are given in Fig. 4. Depending
on the drying conditions, average drying rates of collard

FIG. 3. Air drying curve of collard leaves on a dry basis;

150
C; ^, 125
C;
, 100
C;  , 75
C; -, 50
C.

~,

175
C;

&,

1269

FIG. 4. Air drying rates of the collard leaves at different temperature

levels; ~, 175
C; &, 150
C; ^, 125
C;
, 100
C;  , 75
C; -, 50
C.

leaves ranged from 0.017 to 0.369 kg (H2O) kg1 (DM)

min1 for the temperature between 50 and 175
C, respectively. Average drying rate also increased with the increasing temperature.[11,19]
Vacuum-Drying Curves
A moisture-time diagram of collard along the drying
period on a dry basis is given in Fig. 5. As seen in Fig. 5,
a reduction in drying time occurred with the increasing
temperature and decreasing vacuum level. The time
required for the lowering of moisture content of collard
levels to 0.1 level, from 6.65 on a dry basis, varied between
35 and 195 min depending on the vacuum and temperature
levels. Drying period of leaves was positively correlated
with the increasing temperature level and decreasing

FIG. 5. Vacuum drying curve of collard leaves on a dry basis;

75
C=0.4 mmHg; &, 75
C=50 mmHg; ^, 75
C=100 mmHg;
50
C=0.4 mmHg;  , 50
C=50 mmHg; -, 50
C=100 mmHg.

~,

,

1270

ALIBAS

vacuum level.[5,14] Drying time at 50
C temperature was

120, 150, and 195 min for 0.4, 50, and 100 mmHg, respectively. However, it was considerably shortened at 75
C,
at 35, 45, and 55 min for 0.4, 50, and 100 mmHg vacuum
values, respectively. Increase in temperature level in
vacuum drying had an important effect on the reduction
of drying time. It was determined that he extent of drying
realized at 50
C temperature and 100 mmHg vacuum with
the longest drying period was 5.57 times higher compared
with the drying process realized at 75
C and 0.4 mmHg,
which had the shortest drying period. When the drying
process realized at 50
C temperature and 1 m=s air velocity
without vacuum effect was compared with the drying
processes at 50
C temperature and with 0.4, 50, and
100 mmHg vacuum, the drying period was decreased by
1.75, 1.40, and 1.08 times, respectively, compared with
the drying without the vacuum effect. Similarly, when the
drying applications realized at 75
C with 0.4, 50, and
100 mmHg vacuum were compared with the drying process
without vacuum at 75
C and 1 m=s air velocity, the drying
period was reduced by 1.71, 1.33, and 1.09 times, respectively, under vacuum.
In the vacuum-drying experiments with collard leaves
with mass of 25 g realized by combining two different temperature regimes and three different vacuum levels, 21.4
(0.02) g of weight loss was determined from each sample.
The drying rates (kg [H2O] kg1 [DM] min1) obtained in
unit time under different temperature and vacuum levels
are given in Fig. 6. Depending on the drying conditions,
average drying rates of collard leaves ranged from 0.021
to 0.102 kg (H2O) kg1 (DM) min1 for the output power
between 50
C and 100 mmHg vacuum and 75
C and
0.4 mmHg vacuum, respectively. Increase in temperature

FIG. 6. Vacuum drying rates of the collard leaves at different

temperature and vacuum levels; ~, 75
C=0.4 mmHg; &, 75
C=50 mmHg;
^, 75
C=100 mmHg;
, 50
C=0.4 mmHg;  , 50
C=50 mmHg; -, 50
C=
100 mmHg.

for the same vacuum levels led to increment in the drying

rate. Moreover, vacuum value had a notable effect on drying rate as well. The drying rate increased with increasing
vacuum rate for a given temperature.[5]
Modeling Drying Data
The parameters k and n of the semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1)) for a given drying condition were estimated
using nonlinear regression techniques (Table 1) and goodness of t is illustrated in Figs. 79 for microwave, air, and
vacuum drying.
The model gave an excellent t for all the experimental
data points with values for the coefcient of determination
of greater than 0.9986 and the standard error of estimates
lower than 0.01404 (1000 W); 0.9933 and the standard
error of estimates lower than 0.02792 (75
C); 0.9924 and
the standard error of estimates lower than 0.02429
(50
C=100 mmHg) for microwave, air, and vacuum drying,
respectively. Drying constant value k increases with the

TABLE 1
Nonlinear regression analysis results of the semiempirical
Page equation (Eq. (1)) for microwave, vacuum, and
convective drying of collard (Brassica oleracea L. var.
acephala) leaves
n

SEE ()NS

R2NS

Microwave drying
1000 W
0.9567
850 W
0.8099
750 W
0.6199
650 W
0.5415
500 W
0.4659
350 W
0.4275

1.36325
1.32273
1.36142
1.28219
1.19879
1.12621

0.01404
0.00646
0.00865
0.01091
0.00479
0.00451

0.9986
0.9997
0.9994
0.9990
0.9998
0.9998

Air drying
50
C
75
C
100
C
125
C
150
C
175
C

0.0051
0.0091
0.0244
0.0372
0.0245
0.0369

1.19374
1.41596
1.53042
1.65782
2.16789
2.24187

0.02337
0.02792
0.01503
0.01780
0.00703
0.00364

0.9940
0.9933
0.9983
0.9979
0.9998
0.9999

Vacuum drying
50
C=0.4 mmHg
50
C=50 mmHg
50
C=100 mmHg
75
C=0.4 mmHg
75
C=50 mmHg
75
C=100 mmHg

0.0313
0.0194
0.0180
0.0426
0.0261
0.0291

0.94238
1.00172
0.96605
1.23401
1.27523
1.18551

0.02181
0.02360
0.02429
0.01248
0.01196
0.01016

0.9942
0.9933
0.9924
0.9987
0.9988
0.9991

Drying method

kNS

k, drying rate constant, min1; n, exponent; SEE, standard

error of estimate; R2, coefcient of determination.

P < 0.01. NSNot signicant.

MICROWAVE, VACUUM, AND AIR DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLARD LEAVES

FIG. 7. Moisture ratio versus time, comparing experimental curve with

the predicted one () through semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1)) for
collard leaves under various microwave powers; ~, 1000 W; &, 850 W;
^, 750 W;
, 650 W;  , 500 W; -, 350 W.

increase of microwave power in microwave drying.[2,19,21]

The same way k increases with the increase of air temperature, except 75
C, in air drying.[5,18,19] Drying constant value
k increased with increase in both drying temperature and
vacuum value in vacuum drying.[5]
Ascorbic Acid
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content of the fresh product
was 94.18 mg 1001 g1. The closest ascorbic acid values
to the fresh product were recorded in microwave drying.
Vacuum-drying and air-drying values follow this. The best
ascorbic acid values in microwave drying were achieved at
750 W microwave power as 90.04 mg 1001 g1.[2] The
worst result was found at 250 W microwave power with

FIG. 8. Moisture ratio versus time, comparing experimental curve

with the predicted one () through semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1))
for collard leaves under various temperatures; ~, 175
C; &, 150
C; ^,
125
C;
, 100
C;  , 75
C; -, 50
C.

1271

FIG. 9. Moisture ratio versus time, comparing experimental curve

with the predicted one () through semiempirical Page equation (Eq. (1))
for collard leaves under various vacuum and temperature combinations;
~, 75
C=0.4 mmHg; &, 75
C=50 mmHg; ^, 75
C=100 mmHg;
, 50
C=
0.4 mmHg;  , 50
C=50 mmHg; -, 50
C=100 mmHg.

TABLE 2
Comparison between microwave, vacuum, and air drying
methods for ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content during
collard drying
Drying methods
Fresh Product

Ascorbic acid content

(mg 1001 g1)
94.18a  (0.040)

Microwave drying
1000 W
850 W
750 W
650 W
500 W
350 W

85.22e  (0.167)
88.52d  (0.146)
90.04b  (0.032)
89.68bc  (0.145)
89.02cd  (0.047)
71.53k  (0.293)

Air drying
50
C
75
C
100
C
125
C
150
C
175
C

37.44q  (0.315)
40.42p  (0.091)
41.80o  (0.124)
56.94n  (0.689)
64.29m  (0.205)
70.27l  (0.612)

Vacuum drying
50
C=0.4 mmHg
50
C=50 mmHg
50
C=100 mmHg
75
C=0.4 mmHg
75
C=50 mmHg
75
C=100 mmHg

84.01f  (0.257)
81.75h  (0.163)
80.10i  (0.184)
82.82g  (0.184)
79.03j  (0.039)
71.12kl  (0.119)

Column mean values with different superscripts are signicantly different.


P < 0.01.

1272

ALIBAS

TABLE 3
Comparison between microwave, air, and vacuum drying methods for color parameters during collard drying
Drying method
Fresh
Microwave drying
1000 W
850 W
750 W
650 W
500 W
350 W
Air drying
50
C
75
C
100
C
125
C
150
C
175
C
Vacuum drying
50
C=0.4 mmHg
50
C=50 mmHg
50
C=100 mmHg
75
C=0.4 mmHg
75
C=50 mmHg
75
C=100 mmHg

L
54.43a (0.059)

a
9.41a (0.078)

b

C

12.65a (0.048)

15.77a (0.020)

a.
126.66a (0.32)

48.89b
49.52b
49.93b
49.00b
48.35b
46.59b

(0.395)
(0.186)
(0.151)
(0.127)
(0.378)
(0.289)

8.11ab
8.45ab
8.80a
8.19ab
7.82ab
6.87bc

(0.102)
(0.149)
(0.125)
(0.137)
(0.441)
(0.141)

11.70abcd
11.99abc
12.07abc
11.11abcdef
10.91bcdef
9.96ef

(0.205)
(0.085)
(0.045)
(0.078)
(0.197)
(0.095)

14.24abc
14.67ab
14.93ab
13.80abc
13.43abc
12.10cde

(0.225)
(0.155)
(0.108)
(0.084)
(0.375)
(0.148)

124.75abc
125.19abc
126.09ab
126.38ab
125.57abc
124.58abc

(0.14)
(0.30)
(0.29)
(0.55)
(1.30)
(0.41)

34.67de
33.10e
33.15e
32.64e
31.02e
26.69f

(1.100)
(0.327)
(0.659)
(1.220)
(1.460)
(3.200)

4.87de
4.80de
4.37de
4.24de
3.89de
3.49e

(0.877)
(0.915)
(0.435)
(0.275)
(0.483)
(0.901)

10.69cdef
12.34ab
12.11abc
11.05abcdef
10.11def
9.90f

(0.991)
(1.150)
(0.564)
(0.484)
(0.722)
(1.340)

11.77cde
13.30abcd
12.89bcde
11.85cde
10.83de
10.42e

(1.200)
(1.330)
(0.506)
(0.373)
(0.844)
(1.550)

119.47abcd
117.73abcd
115.01bcd
117.03abcd
114.38cd
111.34d

(3.23)
(4.43)
(5.46)
(4.31)
(4.44)
(6.88)

34.11de
32.89e
32.58e
39.59c
37.14cd
34.58de

(0.442)
(0.257)
(0.356)
(0.534)
(0.511)
(0.728)

4.48de
4.47de
3.95de
5.57cd
5.45cd
5.28cde

(0.398)
(0.384)
(0.764)
(0.234)
(0.165)
(0.471)

11.06abcdef
11.35abcdef
11.12abcde
11.82abc
11.64abcd
11.53abcde

(0.431)
(0.259)
(0.483)
(0.360)
(0.344)
(0.262)

11.94cde
12.21bcde
11.84cde
13.07bcd
12.85bcde
12.69bcde

(0.546)
(0.266)
(0.559)
(0.415)
(0.339)
(0.405)

111.94d
111.46d
109.42d
115.24bcd
115.10bcd
114.53cd

(1.04)
(1.77)
(3.42)
(0.50)
(0.79)
(1.62)

L, brightness (100)= darkness (0); a, redness (50)=greenness (50) coordinate; b, yellowness (50)=blueness (50) coordinate;
C, chroma; a, hue angle.
Column mean values with different superscripts are signicantly different.

P < 0.05.  P < 0.01.

the value of 71.53 mg 1001 g1. The highest ascorbic acid

value in vacuum drying was 84.01 mg 1001 g1 at 75
C
and 0.4 mmHg. The lowest ascorbic acid value was
74.12 mg 1001 g1 in the lowest vacuum value combination of 50
C=100 mmHg. In air drying, the highest ascorbic
acid value was 70.27 mg 1001 g1 at 50
C. The lowest
ascorbic acid value was found as 37.44 mg 1001 g1 at
175
C. The highest ascorbic acid value was obtained by
750 W microwave power, and the lowest ascorbic acid
value was obtained at 175
C. The measured ascorbic acid
values are given in Table 2.

Color Parameters
The color parameters (L, a, b) for microwave, vacuum,
and air drying of collard are compared in Table 3. The
color criteria obtained as a result of drying the collard
leaves in each of the drying processes: 350, 500, 650, 750,
850, and 1000 W for microwave drying; 50, 75, 100, 125,
150, and 175
C for air drying; and 0.4, 50, and 100 mmHg
at 50 and 75
C for vacuum drying, respectively. The color

criteria of dried leaves is compared with the fresh collard

leaves. The closest color values to fresh product were
obtained by 750 W microwave power in microwave drying;[2] at 50
C in air drying;[27] and by combination of
75
C and 0.4 mmHg in vacuum drying.[10] The largest color
value loss was observed at 175
C.

CONCLUSION
The effects of different drying methods on the drying of
collard leaves were evaluated based on the drying parameters such as the drying time, the moisture on a dry basis,
and the drying rate. The microwave drying period was
completed between 150 and 450 s at microwave powers
between 1000 and 350 W. Drying periods lasted for
8210 min in the air-drying method, depending on temperature level (17550
C). The drying period in the
vacuum-drying method ranged from 35 to 195 min,
depending on vacuum-temperature combination (50
C=
100 mmHg and 75
C=0.4 mmHg). Results closest to those
of fresh products with respect to color criteria were

MICROWAVE, VACUUM, AND AIR DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLARD LEAVES

obtained by microwave drying, followed by vacuum- and

air-drying methods. The best result related to the color criteria and ascorbic acid content were obtained at 750 W
(drying time 4 min, color parameters [L: 49.93, a: 8.80,
b: 12.07, C: 14.93, a: 126.09], ascorbic acid value
90.04 mg 1001 g1) microwave power level and the worst
at 175
C (drying time 8 min, color parameters [L: 26.69,
a: 3.49, b: 9.90, C: 10.42, a: 111.34], ascorbic acid value
37.44 mg 1001 g1).
NOMENCLATURE
a
Color redness ()=greenness () coordinate
AD
Air drying
b
Color yellowness ()=blueness () coordinate
C
Chroma, dimensionless
k
Drying constant (min1)
L
Color brightness coordinate
MD
Microwave drying
MR
Moisture ratio (decimal)
n
Exponent
R2
Coefcient of determination (decimal)
t
Drying time (min)
VD
Vacuum drying
X
Moisture content (db) (kg [water] kg1 [dry
matter])
Xe
Equilibrium moisture content (db) (kg [water]
kg1 [dry matter])
X0
Initial moisture content (db) (kg [water] kg1
[dry matter])
Greek Symbol
a

Hue angle (
)

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