APPLICATION OF HEAT PUMP DRYING METHOD COMBINED WITH INFRARED RADIATION TO DRY SCHISANDRA CHINENSIS

Abstract

Schisandra chinensis was harvested at the foot of Ngoc Linh Mountain - Kom Tum. According to Eastern medicine, Schisandra chinensis is sour and mild. Schisandra chinensis has many uses in treatment of diseases because its fruits contain chemical components with biologically active compounds such as lignan, vitamin C and organic acids. However, the active compounds are easily lost in drying the fruits. The study has applied heat pump drying method combined with infrared radiation to dry Schisandra chinensis  with technological parameters: drying temperature at 49.18oC, dried fruit layer thickness of 20.41 cm and drying agent speed at 1.5 m/s; as a result, the dried Schisandra chinensis has preserved lignan content of 4.26%, VTM C content of 143.28mg%; acid content of 5.37% and moisture < 9%. The dried fruits are bright red brown, suitable for making medicinal herbs to treat the diseases or used as raw materials for processing tea products from Schisandra chinensis.