ABSTRACT The paper investigates the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying of nutmeg pericarp slices under varying electric fields (5–15 kV) and electrode gaps (3–5 cm). The drying characteristics, physicochemical and microstructural properties, microbial and nutritional characteristics, and enzyme activity were compared with conventional hot air drying (HAD). The optimal conditions of 15 kV and 3 cm resulted in the shortest drying time of 270 min and the highest moisture diffusion coefficient of 3.04 × 10 −10 m 2 /s. Additionally, these conditions improved antioxidant activity, with values of 95.01% ± 0.86% RSA‐DPPH and 10.35 ± 0.74 μmol/g TE FRAP, increased total phenolics to 824.21 ± 8.45 mg/g GAE, and enhanced color retention. EHD treatment resulted in a 3.22 log reduction in microbial count, and PPO activity was reduced to a significant level. Energy consumption ranged from 2 to 15 times lower than HAD, which is between 500 and 1000 kJ/kg. The highest retention of myristicin, measured at 2.56 mg/g, was observed at a voltage of 10 kV and a distance of 4 cm. Significant correlations between antioxidant retention and processing efficiency underscore the potential of EHD drying as an energy‐efficient, nonthermal method for spice drying. The study demonstrates the potential of EHD drying as a suitable alternative for the simultaneous drying and decontamination of spices for future applications.
Cheeyattil et al. (Sun,) studied this question.