Offering advantages of energy-saving rapid drying rates, short processing times, deep penetration of the microwave energy, instantaneous and precise electronic control, and clean heating processes, microwave-assisted drying (MWD) has become a popular method that is currently used for many materials and processes. This article presents a systematic and comprehensive review of experimental and theoretical studies regarding the kinetic mechanisms of MWD. Factors affecting, methods for measuring, and applications of the dielectric property are discussed. From the experimental perspective, laboratory- and commercial-scale MWD systems are elaborated, including the equipment used and the stability, safety, and regulation of MWD systems. Theoretical investigations of thermal and nonthermal equilibrium models and moving-load computational models are discussed. Finally, some future trends in the research and development of MWD systems are suggested.

A pulsed electric field (PEF) is a technology used for microbial inactivation in food and beverages. This study aimed to examine the effect of PEF treatment on microbial inactivation and quality parameters in Thai orange juice (TOJ). The results showed that PEF and conventional thermal pasteurization (CTP) can be performed for inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in TOJ. A 5-log reduction was obtained after 10 pulses of PEF treatment when using and electrical field strength of 30 kV cm⁻¹, and the microbial inactivation by the PEF treatment resulted from the electroporation more than the temperature. Moreover, PEF treatment affects the quality parameters less than CTP. Moreover, PEF treatment did not affect the TOJ quality parameters such as pH, commission international de l’eclairage (CIE), viscosity, and total soluble solid (TSS), but saved vitamin C and all sugar and all mineral (sucrose, glucose, fructose, sodium, lithium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) values more than CTP treatment.

The understanding of heat transport in biological tissues is important for enhanced insight on the physiological mechanisms and thermoregulatory mechanisms. This article presents a numerical simulation of microwave (MW) ablation using a single-slot MW antenna on two layers of porous liver tissue. The two layers are of tumor and normal tissue. A porous media approach is proposed for mathematical model of MW ablation. Three coupled models which include transient momentum equations and a transient energy equation coupled with an electromagnetic wave propagation (EWP) equation are analyzed. This article focuses on the influences of the tumor diameter, tumor porosity, and input MW power on the specific absorption rate (SAR) profile, temperature profile, and blood velocity profile within the porous liver tissue. The results obtained from the calculation of porous media model are examined and compared with the one of bioheat model along with the experimental results from previous work. The results indicated that all parameters have a significant effect on the SAR profile, temperature profile, and blood velocity profile in the porous liver tissue. The advanced results in this research can be used in applications such as it provides guidance on the practical treatment and can be developed medically for therapeutic.