Desarrollo de método para extracción híbrida de aceites esenciales y deshidratación híbrida de alimentos por medio de un susceptor de microondas

Abstract

The traditional methodologies for the determination of humidity, extraction of essential oils or to distill drinking water for laboratory purposes, can be carried out without problems through equipment based on microwave electromagnetic radiation technology. For that, a domestic source was available which was structurally modified to connect it to a refrigeration system joined by a steam connector tube covered with a metallic protection capable of retaining radiation leaks, a thermal insulator to preserve the covered transfer temperature. by a thin layer of aluminum. The use of a microwave susceptor (SM) was key for two of the methods in question, hybrid dehydration of foods and hybrid extraction of essential oil (DHA and EHAE), since it absorbs a part of the electromagnetic radiation of the emitting source to dissipate it in the form of heat, transforming this heating process into a hybrid mechanism both for the extraction of essential oils and for the dehydration of food. Among other considerations, for the hybrid food dehydration method (DHA), the use of vacuum pressure was essential to favor the kinetics and avoid deterioration of the sample due to prolonged exposures to microwaves, in turn the application of a combination of power and time helped to better preserve the natural color of the sample in a total of 10 minutes in compared to 160 minutes for conventional dehydration. For the essential oil hybrid extraction method (EHAE), the adaptation of the concentrator greatly favored the visualization of the oil and the continuous operation of the process. Finally, for the water purification process (PPA), it is possible to reduce the concentrations evaluated in a similar way compared to conventional equipment, but it is also highly advantageous in terms of raw material!and operating cost.