Despite the above, freezing/thawing
lowered the quality of dried berries by producing harder, chewier
and gummier fruits. This was most evident in berries processed by
HAD at 80 C. Microwave-assisted drying of raw berries, which
included hot air drying at 80 C until the achievement of moisture
content of 1.95 ± 0.05 kg$kg1 d.w. (dry weight), was the most
efficient drying method in terms of enhanced product quality
(determined by hardness, chewiness, gumminess, porosity, density
and shrinkage) and reduced energy consumption