Biochemical and physico-chemical changes of rapeseeds during combined microwave drying in the production of rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil production technology implies repeated heating of oilseed raw materials; therefore, there is a high probability of biochemical and physico-chemical changes in its composition and a decrease in the nutritional value of the finished product. It is known that rapeseed seeds are balanced in protein, amino acids and vitamins, among which a special role belongs to antioxidants - tocopherols, the level and isomer composition of which determine the oil's resistance to oxidation. Therefore, it is particularly interesting to study the effect of temperature exposure on the quantitative content of the listed components and the qualitative composition of rapeseed seeds. At the final stages of rapeseed oil production, the seeds should arrive dried to a certain moisture content and with the maximum possible preservation of native properties. Therefore, the key link of the machine-hardware scheme of rapeseed oil production developed by us is a microwave drying apparatus with a combined power supply. The aim of the work is a comparative study of the quality indicators of rapeseed dried in a microwave device with a combined power supply and a traditional method. As a result of experimental studies, a comparative analysis of biochemical and physico-chemical changes in rapeseed seeds was carried out, which allows us to draw a positive conclusion about the feasibility of using a microwave drying apparatus as part of the rapeseed oil production line.