S0601-1-2 Development of sterilization technology using microwave room-temperature drying

Abstract

We have developed a new microwave drying system which can perform the sterilization process as well as the room-temperature drying process. A wet heating sterilization is carried out after the first stage of the microwave vacuum drying. The system pressure at the sterilization process is a little lower than the atmospheric pressure and the steam is at the superheated state. After the sterilization for a several minutes the second stage of drying starts. It was confirmed that neither color nor function of food had deteriorated. We also found that the number of the bacteria (aerobic mesophilic bacteria), the endospore (bacillus) and the coliforms decreased to 1/852000, 1/108 and 1/254000 by this method.