As representatives of the traditional and innovative drying method, hot-air (HA) and short- and mediumwave
infrared radiation (SMIR) drying were chosen to conduct comparative study, respectively. In the
present study, drying kinetics of jujube slices during HA and SMIR drying at 60, 70, 80 and 90 C were
investigated, quality attributes such as color, vitamin C (VC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and cyclic
adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) content of dried jujube slices were evaluated. Both HA and SMIR
drying process occurred mainly in the falling rate period. Drying time used in SMIR drying was 33~83% of
that in HA drying. Logarithmic model and Two-term model were the best in describing the drying
process in HA and SMIR drying, respectively. Deff values of jujube slices were varied from 1.43 108 to
2.28 107 m2
/s. Values of Deff in SMIR drying were two times higher than HA drying. Jujube slices dried
by SMIR revealed better color, higher retentions of VC, TFC and cAMP content than HA drying. Compared
with HA drying, SMIR drying showed shorter drying time, higher drying efficiency and better quality of
products, indicating SMIR drying was a more promising drying method for jujube processing.