DEPARTMENT OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING

(M. Tech FSQM 1st SEMESTER)

SCHOOL OF BIO-ENGINEERING
SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(Deemed to be University u/s 3 of UGC Act, 1956)
Mahatma Gandhi Road, SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu 603203

ASSIGNMENT ON

INFRARED HEATING IN FOOD PROCESSING

(Advanced Food Processing and Preservation Techniques-FSR2003)

2018-2020

Submitted by:
ANUSHKA MITRA
(ID. No. RA1812036010001)

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 CONTENTS

1) Introduction

2) Theory

3) Principle

4) Equipment

5) Process Parameters

6) Mechanism of Action

7) Effect on nutritional profile

8) Advantages and Disadvantages

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 INTRODUCTION
 Infrared radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation, like radio waves, ultraviolet radiation, X-
rays and microwaves. Infrared (IR) light is the part of the EM spectrum that people encounter most
in everyday life and feel it as a form of heat.

 Food materials primarily undergo thermal preservation (exposure to heat) to extend their shelf life
or to enhance their taste.

 IR radiation falls under the category of non-ionizing radiations that is not involved in knocking off
an electron from a compound but to raise the temperature of the food material.

 By exposing an object to infrared (IR) radiation (wavelength of 0.78 to 1000 μm), the heat energy
generated externally is absorbed by food materials thus IR radiation provides thermal energy in the
form of electromagnetic (EM) waves.

 Thus the primary objective of Infrared (IR) heating of foods involves applications such as thermal
processing, microbial decontamination (as the heating involved denatures the proteins leading to
death of micro-organisms), roasting, drying and baking (IR being a surface phenomenon). The use
of IR heating in food applications reduces the processing time and energy loss and extends shelf
life of the food product.

 IR heating is an indirect method as it relies on heat that is generated externally; applied to surface
of the food mostly by radiation, convection and to a lesser extent by conduction., as opposed to
conventional methods where heat is provided directly

 IR radiation can be classified into 3 regions, namely, near‐infrared (NIR ranges from 0.75 to 1.4
μm), mid‐infrared (MIR ranges from 1.4 to 3 μm), and far‐infrared (FIR ranges from 3 to 1000
μm).In general, FIR radiation is advantageous for thermal preservation of food because most food
components absorb IR energy in the FIR region.

 The list of foods that could be treated with IR heating includes fruits, vegetables, spices, juices,
milk, nuts, etc. Typical thermal conductivities of solid foods are much lower than liquid foods.

 IR heating is also gaining popularity because of its higher thermal efficiency and fast heating
rate/response time in comparison to conventional heating. Recently, IR radiation has been widely
applied to various thermal processing operations in the food industry such as dehydration, frying,
and pasteurization.

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 Figure 1: EM spectrum showing 3 Regions of IR radiation

THEORY
 The basic concepts involved in Infrared heating are high heat transfer capacity, heat penetration
directly into the product, fast process control and no heating of surrounding air.

 The following factors are critical to control to get an optimal heating result:
• Radiator temperature-
Directly corresponds to the wavelength that will be absorbed by the food.

• Radiator efficiency-
The degree of emission from the radiator.

•Infrared reflection/absorption properties-

Amount of radiation absorbed/reflected/transmitted by the food.

• Infrared penetration properties-

Extent of penetration depends on the constituents of food. (Eg. Lipids, Proteins etc.)

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1) HEAT TRANSFER:

 The amount of the IR radiation that is incident on any surface has a spectral dependence.
Wavelength that is emitted is dependent upon the temperature and emissivity of the emitter.

 The rate of heat transfer depends on:

• The surface temperature of the heating and receiving materials.
• The surface properties of the two materials
• The shape/size of the emitting and receiving bodies.

 The amount of heat emitted from a perfect radiator (termed black body) is calculated using the
Stefan-Boltzmann equation.

Q = σAT⁴

Where, Q (Js-1) is the rate of heat emission, σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, A the surface area
and T (K) the absolute temperature.

2) OPTICAL PROPERTIES/IR REFLECTION:

 When infrared waves hit a material they can be reflected r, transmitted t or absorbed α.

 The amount of radiation absorbed by a body is termed the absorptivity α and it is numerically
equal to the emissivity. Radiation, which is not absorbed, is reflected and this is expressed as the
reflectivity 1- α.

 The amount of absorbed energy, and hence the degree of heating, varies from zero to complete
absorption. This is due to the components of food, which absorb radiation to different extent and
temperature of the source determines the wavelength of infrared radiation.

 Higher temperatures produce shorter wavelengths and greater depth of penetration. However, as
most food components absorb radiative energy in FIR region, which corresponds to longer
wavelength the extent of penetration in food, is therefore less. The net rate of heat transfer to a
food therefore equals the rate of absorption subtracted from the rate of emission.

 Net Heat Transfer in food is given by,

Q = εσA(T1⁴-T2⁴)

Where, ε is emissivity, T1 is the temperature of the source; T2 is the temperature of the absorber.

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 PRINCIPLE
 When the waves penetrate the material the vibrations and rotation of the molecules are changed.
The two fundamental vibrations are stretching and bending.

 When the infrared light hits a molecule, energy is absorbed and the vibration changes. When the
molecule returns into the normal state, the absorbed energy is transferred into heat.

Figure 2: Fundamental vibrations of molecules

Figure 3: Absorption wavelength of food components

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 EQUIPMENT
 The main component of an IR oven is the radiator. The radiators may be divided into the
following main groups:

• Gas heated radiators (long waves): Most infrared heaters are fueled using propane or natural gas
and sometimes oil. The hot temperatures is generated by the combustion of fuel inside the unit,
which in turn heats either a steel tube (tube heater) or ceramic surface (luminous heater) . The
heat from this surface is emitted in the form of infrared radiant energy. Reflectors are used to
direct the infrared radiant energy.

• Electrically heated radiators: The electrical energy is converted to heat energy which heats up
the steel surface or ceramic surfaces that emits infrared radiations.

– tubular/flat metallic heaters/ceramic (long waves)

– quartz tube heaters (medium, short waves)

 IR equipment may be either of batch or continuous type.

 The radiator cassettes are positioned above or below the transport belt.

 In other equipment the IR systems combined with air convection to control the surrounding air
temperature and humidity. On most equipment the degree of heating is controlled by systems (on
/off systems).

Figure 4: Continuous process Infrared oven.

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 PROCESS PARAMETERS
 General parameters:
 IR emission, IR power, temperature control, IR wavelength (shorter wavelengths have greater
penetration depth)
 Parameters related with operations:
 Microbial inactivation: IR power, temperature of the food sample, sample depth, type of
organisms (spores are more resistant), moisture content and the physiological phase of the
microorganism (exponential cells are more sensitive).
 Drying: surface temperature of the radiator, air temperature, air velocity, infrared power.

 Product parameters:
 Thickness of the product, moisture content (absorption increases with decreased moisture
content), water activity (IR penetration depth is expected to decrease with increased water
activity), temperature of the food sample, food composition.

MECHANISM OF ACTION OF IR HEATING IN FOOD PROCESSING

OPERATIONS

1) Drying and Dehydration:

 Infrared heating provides an imperative place in drying technology. Most dried vegetable products
are prepared conventionally using a hot‐air dryer. However, this method is inappropriate when dried
vegetables are used as ingredients of instant foods because of low rehydration rate of the
vegetables. Freeze‐drying technique is a competitive alternative; however, it is comparatively
expensive.

 During the infrared-convective drying following takes place:

 Heat absorption by the material by the transformation of IR radiation into sensible heat
 Heat transfer from the material to the surrounding environment
 Mass transfer from the material to the surrounding air.

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2) Enzyme Inactivation:
Infrared heating is also effectively used for enzyme inactivation. Lipooxygenase, an enzyme
responsible for deterioration of food, was inactivated 95.5% within 60 s of IR treatment. Certain
enzyme reactions (involving action of lipases and α amylases) were affected by infrared radiation at
a bulk temperature of 30 to 40 °C.FIR radiation for 6 min resulted in a 60% reduction in lipase
activity, while thermal conduction resulted in 70% reduction.

3) Pathogen Inactivation :
 IR heating can be used to inactivate bacteria, spores, yeast, and mold in both liquid and solid
foods.
 Increase in the power of infrared heating source produces more energy and thus total energy
absorbed by microorganisms (MO’s) increases(heat), leading to microbial inactivation.

EFFECT OF INFRARED HEATING ON NUTRITIONAL PROFILE

 Infrared heating, can be used to improve protein digestibility and reduce or eliminate levels of
bioactive compounds affecting digestion.

 IR heating can provide temperatures required for surface browning reactions. A longer shelf life of
baked bread can be achieved by infrared heating systems without the addition of preservatives or
other shelf life extending chemicals.

 Flavor enhancement can be produced by browning meat products in an infrared device. Browning
also enhances the appearance for the meats. Infrared heat finds particular application in modern
meat preparation.

 During the baking of bread, rolls and other baked products, the dough or baking yeast
(Saccharomyces cerevisiae) must be able to ferment without the propagation of unwanted mildew
or other undesirable microbes. IR heating promotes the activity of yeast, supplies mild heat to trays
of bread dough.

 FIR radiation may also be absorbed by microbial spores and inactivate its bioactive constituents
involved in germination.

 Chemical analyzes such as total soluble solids (TSS) and acidity can be determined by NIRS (near
infrared spectroscopy). Potential uses of NIRS in the wavelength range of 900–1700 nm for
determination of sweetness (TSS); sourness (acidity).

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ADVANTAGES:

 Infrared (IR) heating offers many advantages over conventional heating under similar conditions,
which include reduced heating time, uniform heating, reduced quality losses, versatile, simple
and compact equipment, and significant energy saving.

 The integration of IR with other matured processing operations such as blanching, dehydration,
freeze-dehydration, thawing, roasting, baking, cooking has been shown to open up new
processing options.

 For many food products the IR heating process can be designed to avoid alteration of quality
characteristics such as vitamins, proteins and antioxidant activity.

DISADVANTAGES:

 IR heating is attractive primarily for surface heating applications. In order to achieve energy
optimum and efficient practical applicability of IR heating in the food processing industry,
combination of IR heating is required.

 Low penetration power. (FIR)

 Prolonged exposure of biological materials may cause fracturing.

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 REFERENCES
1) Siegel, Robert and Howell, John R.: Thermal Radiation Heat Transfer. 3rd Ed. Taylor and
Francis, Philadelphia.
2) Kathiravan Krishnamurthy Harpreet Kaur Khurana Jun Soojin Joseph Irudayaraj Ali Demirci;
Infrared Heating in Food Processing: An Overview;2008;7(1):2-13
3) Afzal TM, Abe T. 1998. Diffusion in potato during far infrared radiation drying. J Food Eng
37(4):353–65.

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