Effect of Infrared-Combined Hot Air Intermittent Drying of Jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Miller) Slices: Drying Characteristics, Quality, and Energy Consumption Dimensions

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of infrared-combined hot air intermittent drying (IIRHAD) on energy consumption, drying characteristics, and the quality of jujube slices. The water content of jujube slices decreased from 0.267 g/g to 0.05 g/g during the experiment, and the infrared heating plate’s temperature was fixed at 70 °C while the hot air temperature was fixed at 50 °C. Nine different intermittent ratios were used to dry jujube slices, and the results showed that intermittent treatment had varying effects on drying characteristics, energy consumption, and quality. In comparison to infrared-combined hot air drying (IRHAD), the effective drying time of red jujube slices was reduced by 40 to 100 min, the energy consumption decreased by 11.91% to 34.34%, and there were also varying degrees of improvement in the quality indicators. It was discovered that excessively long or short active drying and tempering periods had a negative impact on the drying process. Therefore, these factors should be further broken down and improved in the future. This research holds great importance for the future advancement and widespread use of IIRHAD in fruit and vegetable materials.