DRYING PARAMETERS OF ORANGE PULPS AT HOT AIR, INFRARED RADIATION AND HOT AIR ASSISTED INFRARED RADIATION DRYING

The citrus juice industry produces a huge amount of remains that are used as feedstuff ingredients. There is a constant concern to valorize the citrus by-products in terms of milk quality and quantity, environment, and economic aspects. The citrus products that are processed and evaluated are bitter orange, orange, grapefruit, and lemon; totally production amount is about 4 million tons in Turkey. After the citrus is processed to fruit juice, approximately 50-60% of pulp occurs. This amount shows that citrus pulp has significant economic potential for reuse and avoid environmental pollution. This study aims to evaluate the drying of orange pulps by different drying methods such as hot air drying (HAD), Infrared Radiation Drying (IRD) and combination of hot air and infrared radiation drying (HAD+IRD). The drying parameters, some macro, and minor elements, and organic acids of orange peels were explored in detail.