Studies on the effect of drying media, microwave time and setting duration on drying of chincherinchee (Ornithogalum thyrsoides Jacq) in microwave oven

The studies on the effect of drying media, microwave time and setting duration on drying of chincherinchee (Ornithogalum thyrsoides Jacq) in microwave oven were conducted in the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, DrYS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during November 2013 to August 2014. Two drying media were used for embedding of flowers in microwave oven drying viz silica gel and sand + silica gel (50: 50 v/v). After embedding the flowers were kept for different microwave times (3, 4 and 5 minutes) and for different setting durations (24, 48 and 72 hours) outside the microwave oven. In total there were 18 treatment combinations replicated thrice. The results obtained showed that maximum score for quality parameters were recorded in flowers embedded in silica gel kept for 3 minutes and for 24 hours setting duration (18.60/20) and minimum score (10.13/20) was obtained when the flowers were dried in sand + silica gel kept for 5 minutes and for 72 hours. Maximum moisture loss (84.77%) was recorded in flowers kept for 5 minutes and for 72 hours setting duration and minimum (63.65%) was recorded in flowers kept for 3 minutes and for 24 hours setting duration. Flowers embedded for longer microwave time and for prolonged setting duration showed maximum moisture loss but quality parameters were declined. Maximum moisture loss as well as maximum score for quality parameters were recorded by the flowers embedded in silica gel as compared to sand + silica gel.