Microwave Combination Heating

Combining microwaves with other modes of heating—infrared and jet-impingement—can provide selective heating to improve food quality and cooking speed.

Food Technology Magazine | Article

ASHIM K. DATTA, SRIKANTH S.R. GEEDIPALLI,

MARIALUCI F. ALMEIDA

Although microwave ovens have provided several benefits in terms of speed and convenience, the full potential of microwave heating is far from being realized because of its disadvantages, such as non-uniformity of heating, edge overheating, soggy texture, and lack of browning. Several ways to improve these situations have developed through the years, in terms of the turntable and the mode stirrer that improve the uniformity of heating, changes in food composition and placement, use of active pac…Microwave Combination Heating

Fig.1—Interior of a combination microwave–infrared oven (AdvantiumTM from General Electric, Louisville, Ky). The inside of the oven has dimensions 0.470 m x 0.356 m x 0.215 m (height). The infrared (halogen) sources are at the top (as shown in the middle) and at the bottom (not shown). The microwaves are introduced from the side as shown.

Fig. 2—Interior of a combination microwave–jet-impingement oven (Thermador JetDirect oven, model CJ302UB, technology licensed from Enersyst Development Center, Dallas, Tex.). The inside of the oven has dimensions 0.61 m x 0.375 m x 0.235 m (height). The microwaves are introduced from the top, and the air jets are introduced from both the top and the bottom.



Fig. 4—Experimental vs simulated curves for a hot spot in the potato during microwave heating alone (left figure) at level I setting that corresponds to 10% of microwave power and the same microwave power with hot-air combination heating (right figure). The heat transfer coefficient used for the air jet is from Fig. 3.

Fig. 5—Temperature contour plots at a section in potato after 2 min of heating under different heating modes (left—microwave, center—hot air, and right—combination) for the conditions noted in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6—Average temperature rise and non-uniformity in temperatures after 2 min of heating under different heating modes for conditions noted in Fig. 4.


Fig. 8—Experimental and simulated temperature histories for a hot spot in the potato block during microwave heating alone (left fig.) at level I setting that corresponds to 10% of the oven microwave power and microwave plus infrared combination heating (right fig.) with microwave and infrared at their level I settings (infrared fluxes are from Fig. 7).

Fig. 9—Temperature contours on the potato surface after heating for 1 min using different heating modes (left—microwave, center—infrared, right—combination) for the conditions noted in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10—Average temperature rise and non-uniformity in temperatures after 1 min of heating (note a duration half as long as in Fig. 6) under different heating modes for conditions noted in Fig. 8.


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