Temperature- and Moisture-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Macadamia Nut Kernels

Abstract

Conventional hot air drying for macadamia nuts takes several weeks, generating great interest in developing advanced drying technologies. Radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) heating hold potential for providing fast and uniform drying with acceptable product quality. To clearly understand the interaction between electromagnetic energy and macadamia nuts, information on dielectric properties of the kernels is needed for designing a practical and effective drying process. In this study, dielectric properties of the macadamia nut kernels were measured between 10 and 1,800 MHz using an open-ended coaxial-line probe technique at temperatures between 25 and 100 °C and moisture contents between 3 % and 24 % on a wet basis (w.b.). The results showed that both dielectric constant and loss factor of the kernels decreased sharply with increasing frequency over the RF range (10 to 300 MHz), but gradually over the measured MW range (300–1,800 MHz), which were largely enhanced by increasing moisture content and temperature. Penetration depth decreased with increasing frequency, moisture content, and temperature. Based on this study, uniform drying of macadamia nut kernels in thick layers could be effectively developed using RF energy.