Computer model of drying secondary raw materials in agro-industrial applications

The rational use of secondary raw materials generated during the processing of agricultural products and the reduction of their negative impact on the environment is one of the priority tasks of the modern agro-industrial sector. During the processing of stone fruits at the juice and puree production facility, 8-10 tons of waste is generated daily. Processing these secondary raw materials allows for the production of food additives and biologically active substances used in the food and confectionery industries. This work examines the specifics of drying the secondary product formed during the production of apricot juice and puree. Experiments were conducted to study the efficiency of the drying process using convective and microwave drying methods. At the same time, the secondary raw material (mezga) of the apricot, containing 93% moisture, was dried at a temperature of 85-90°C to 10% moisture content in various regimes. To dry 100 g of the sample in the convective drying chamber, 7 hours were required, of which the energy supply time was 5730 s. In microwave drying, the total drying time was 1909 s, and the energy supply time was 800 s. Preliminary conclusions were obtained for the technological system of processing secondary raw materials to maximize the preservation of useful components in the secondary product composition, and a drying technology was proposed. Based on the chemical composition of the dried secondary raw materials, a conclusion was made about the possibility of their use in the production of functional products.