MULTISCALE MATHEMATICAL MODELING BASED DESIGN OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF MICROWAVE-ASSISTED FRYING TECHNOLOGY

The long-term goal is to develop science-based innovative microwave-assisted frying technologies that allow better control of fluid and species transport processes inside the food matrix. Specific goals of the project are:1. To develop a microwave-assisted oil fryer prototype that allows varying oil temperature profiles, microwave power levels, and microwave on/off profiles to better control fluid transport mechanisms and product quality during frying.2. To provide a fundamental understanding of microwave-assisted oil frying processes by solving the hybrid mixture theory (HMT)-based modeling equations coupled with Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism.3. To conduct frying experiments with the developed prototype for validating the computational model.4. To perform computer simulations with the validated model, and utilize modeling and experimental results to optimize the design of prototype.