Ultrasound Drying of Rose Hips: a Process Study

Introduction. Rose hips are rich in macro- and micronutrients. Unfortunately, heat treatment destroys most nutrients. Ultrasonic technologies make it possible to reduce the drying time and lower the temperature regime. The research objective was to adjust ultrasound technology to rose hip production in order to reduce the loss of vitamins and improve the quality indicators of the dried product. Study objects and methods. The research featured rose hips of the Rosa canina species collected in the south of Kazakhstan. This subspecies of wild rose is poor in vitamin C. Nevertheless, this shrub is extremely common in Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The raw material was dried according to standard methods. One group of samples was treated with ultrasound, while the other served as control. Both groups underwent a sensory evaluation and were tested for moisture and vitamin C. Results and discussion. The rose hips were dried in a combination steam oven with a built-in ultrasonic wave generator. The research revealed the following optimal parameters of the ultrasound drying process: frequency of ultrasonic vibrations – 22 kHz, processing time – 2.5 h, temperature in the combination steam oven – +56°C, initial moisture content – 30%. The resulting product met the requirements of State Standard. The loss of moisture was 57%. According to State Standard 1994-93, the initial moisture content should be 15% or less. Time decreased from 360 min to 160 min, and the initial moisture was 13%. The experiment confirmed the initial hypothesis that ultrasonic treatment improves the drying process by improving quality indicators and preserving vitamin C in raw materials using. Conclusion. Ultrasound treatment during moisture removal from rose hips provides a resource-saving technology that fulfills an economically and socially important function.