Study On Blue Honeysuckle Chips Subjected To The Microwave Vacuum Puffing Method

Blue honeysuckle is rich in nutrition and medicination, which is recognized as the nature and healthy nutritious food. As a popular snack food, fruit and vegetable chips are characteristic of crisp,original colour, fragrance and mouth-feel taste. Applying blue honeysuckle to produce chips could not only increase the utilization of blue honeysuckle resources, but also addthe types of fruit and vegetable chips. In this research, a novel microwave vacuum technique was employed to puff blue honeysuckle chips, and an adequate way was studied to make the blue honeysuckle paste.Also, microwave vacuum puffing characteristics of blue honeysuckle chips and the effect of puffing parameters on the main qualities of blue honeysuckle chips were studied in this research. By studying blue honeysuckle paste prescription, a suitable technical way to make blue honeysuckle paste was established. A suitable blue honeysuckle paste which was convinent to puff was 30% of the total starch and the ratio of the potato starch, stichy rice starch and corn starch was 2:1:1. It was smooth-faced, sticky and stiff adequately. After microwave vacuum being puffed, blue honeysuckle chips were crisp and fresh, and fresh blue honeysuckle flavor.The effect of the initial moisture content, microwave output power, vacuum degree and microwave intensity on the expansion ratio and qualities of blue honeysuckle chips were studied in this paper. The results showed there was a remarkable effect on the expansion ratio, hardness and crispness of blue honeysuckle chips among the initial moisture content, microwave output power and vacuum degree, while there was a remarkable effect on the expansion ratio and no significant effect on hardness and crispness in microwave intensity. There was no significant effect on chroma among four factors. Under the single factor of the test, the suitable blue honeysuckle chips were achieved by 35% of the initial moisture content, 2.59kW of microwave output power, 80kPa of vacuum degree and 20W/g of microwave intensity.Under the constant microwave output power, a responding surface methodology (RSM) design was empolied and the experimental factors were the initial moisture content, microwave output power, vacuum degree and microwave intensity. The result showed that the regression model of expansion ratio, hardness, crispness and chroma were estableshed and the effect of each experimental factor and their interactions on the expansion ratio, hardness, crispness and chroma were analyzed. The optimum processing parameter and response value were developed. The optimization technics combination which was 38.42% of the initial moisture content, 82kPa of vacuum degree and 22.42W/g of microwave intensity under the condition of 2.59kW of microwave output power was obtained in the research.Microwave vacuum puffing method and hot air drying method were separately applied to puff blue honeysuckle chips. The indexes of blue honeysuckle chips, such as the taste character, texture character, microstructure, colour, vitamin C content and energy consumption were compared. It was found that the quality of puffing blue honeysuckle chips with microwave vacuum technique was far superior to hot air drying in texture, colour and flavor. The vitamin C content was increased by 9.67%, and the special structure of blue honeysuckle chips was observered with multilayer, loosen, many bubbles inside and bigger section hole in fringe. In the puffng energy consumption, microwave vacuum puffing was saved 100 times than hot air drying.In the condition of the optimization tecnics parameter, 15% sugar was added into the blue honeysuckle jam in order to regulate the ratio of acid and sweet. After microwave vacuum puffed the dainty, better sensory character of blue honeysuckle chips was observed.