Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671

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Ultrasonics Sonochemistry
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ultson

Effects of ultrasound and microwave pretreatments of carrot slices before

drying on the color indexes and drying rate
Fakhreddin Salehi *, Kimia Goharpour , Helia Razavi Kamran
Department of Food Science and Technology, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of microwave pretreatment (MWP) and ultrasonic pretreatment
Microwave pretreatment (USP) on drying time (DT), mass transfer kinetics, effective water diffusivity (Deff), rehydration rate, color index
Page equation (L*, a*, b*), and the surface shrinkage of carrot slices when dried in a hot air dryer (70 ◦ C). The microwave
Rehydration
process was performed for 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 s before drying of carrot slices. In addition, the ultrasound
Surface shrinkage
Ultrasonic pretreatment
process was performed in an ultrasonic bath (40 kHz and 150 W) for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min. The results
confirmed that the MWP and USP decreased the DT (higher water loss) of carrot slices. Deff values for microwave-
pretreated slices were considerably higher than those for nontreated carrot slices (p < 0.05). The Deff calculated
by Fick’s second law was increased from 8.69 × 10− 10 to 10.96 × 10− 10 m2 s− 1, and from 7.56 × 10− 10 to 9.39 ×
10− 10 m2 s− 1, for samples pretreated by microwave and ultrasound, respectively. The empirical value for the
drying curves were fitted to the common thin film-equations, and Page’s equation was the most suitable to
describe the dehydration rate of carrot slices. The average rehydration ratio of nontreated, microwave-treated,
and ultrasound-treated carrot slices were 432.3 %, 449.2 %, and 360.9 %, respectively. The redness, yellowness,
and surface shrinkage parameters of pretreated samples by microwave were higher than the nontreated slices.
The lightness and redness parameters of pretreated carrot slices by ultrasound were higher than the nontreated
samples under all conditions.

1. Introduction Of all the available pretreatment approaches, ultrasound is pro­

Microwave-based drying is a promising method that can efficiently
dry the products in a shorter duration. In addition, compared to other
new methods, this process is quite simple and very energy efficient [1].
A microwave pretreatment (MWP) accelerates the water transfer in the
drying procedure and can decrease the drying time (DT) of fruits and
vegetables [2–4]. The microwave method has been used for pretreat­
ment and drying of various agricultural products, including apple [5,6],
carrot [7], garlic cloves [4], ginger [1], green olives [8], Myrtus fruit
[9], onion [1], pomegranate arils [10], pumpkin [11], sprouted lentils
[12], and white sweet cherry [13]. A group of researchers reported that
using MWP preserves the color and antioxidant activity of the final
product [14]. The effects of thermal extrusion and microwave vacuum
drying on fatty acids profile during fish powder preparation were
examined by Ahmad et al. [15]. The results showed that the thermal
extrusion and microwave vacuum drying have the ability to improve the
bioactive fatty acids, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid reactive
substance value of dried fish powder.
pounded as one of the best promising processes for the treatment of fruit
and vegetable slices before drying [16,17]. Wang et al. [18] used ul­
trasonic pretreatment (USP) to improve the drying rate of kiwifruit sli­
ces. Their results confirmed that the USP method can improve the drying
process and preserve a high amount of phenols. The effects of ultrasonic
waves on several qualitative properties of carrot juice were studied
using response surface methodology by Tavakoli-Dakhrabadi et al. [19].
The results of this work exhibit that the qualitative properties of soni­
cated carrot juice are better than those of nontreated samples, and this
finding indicates that sonication is a suitable alternative to conventional
heat treatment. Tayyab Rashid et al. [20] tested the effects of ultrasound
frequency (20 kHz) and glucose pretreatments alone or combined with
drying of sweet potato slices (3 mm) using a hot air dryer at 60 ◦ C to
study the kinetics modeling, phytochemicals, antioxidant capacity, and
functional and textural changes of the final dried product. Their results
confirmed that the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content
were significantly higher in glucose-pretreated samples while antioxi­
dant activity was higher in samples pretreated by ultrasound and

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: F.Salehi@Basu.ac.ir (F. Salehi).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2023.106671
Received 6 October 2023; Received in revised form 19 October 2023; Accepted 28 October 2023
Available online 30 October 2023
1350-4177/© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
F. Salehi et al.
Fig. 1. Schematic of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments, drying and rehydration process of carrot slices.
glucose.
Carrot (Daucus carota L.) ranks as one of the 10 most cultivated crops
in the world with a worldwide annual production of 40–44 million tons
and a total cultivation area of 1.12 million hectares [21,22]. This crop is
one of the most consumed vegetable in the world in all seasons that rich
in vitamins, phenolic compounds, carotenoid, and dietary fiber, possess
therapeutic characteristics for example being anti-anemic, anticancer,
antioxidant, and along with corresponding amounts of several other
beneficial compounds [23,24]. Carotenoids are one of the most impor­
tant phytochemicals in carrots, of which α-carotene and β-carotene are
the most abundant, accounting for 80–90 % of the total carotenoid
content in most carrot genotypes. Also, carotenoids composition is
greatly influenced by root color. For example, phytoene and phytofluene
are commonly found in white color carrots, while α-carotene and
β-carotene are dominant in orange carrots [22,25].
We found no report on the effects of MWP and USP on the drying
kinetics, Deff, rehydration rate, color parameters, and shrinkage of carrot
slices in the literature. So, the aim of this work was to examine the
impacts of MWP and USP methods on the DT, mass transfer rate, Deff,
rehydration ratio, color index (L*, a*, b*), and surface shrinkage of
carrot slices. In addition, we modeled the changes in moisture content
during drying of carrot slices.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Raw materials
All methods were included in this study are in accordance with the
relevant guidelines. For each experiment, fresh carrots (Daucus carota L.)
were cut into cylinder-shaped slices of 5 mm thickness using a slicer
(model AF-23, Girmi, Italy) and then directly placed into the microwave
and ultrasound devices (Fig. 1). Moisture content (MC) of fresh carrot
slices was determined using a laboratory oven at 105 ◦ C for 5 h (Shimaz,
Iran).
2.2. Microwave pretreatment (MWP)
A microwave oven (Delmonti, voltage = 230 ~ 240 V/50 Hz, output
= 900 W, input = 1400 W, model: DL740, Italy) was used under
2
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671
atmospheric pressure to apply MWP to carrot slices. In this study, the
impact of the MWP time at five levels of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 s on the
carrot slices was examined [26].
2.3. Ultrasound pretreatment (USP)
Ultrasound is a mechanical cell disruption process in which ultra­
sound waves are generated, causing shear forces that leading to cell
disruption [27]. In this work, an Iranian Becker model vCLEAN1-L6, 150
Watt, 40 kHz frequency ultrasonic generator was used. The impact of the
USP time at five levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 min on the carrot slices was
investigated.
2.4. Convective drying of carrot slices
Following MWP and USP process, the carrot slices were dehydrated
in a laboratory oven at 70 ◦ C (Shimaz, Iran). The dehydration procedure
was stopped when the weight of the carrot slices was remains constant.
2.5. Drying kinetics
The drying kinetics of carrot slices has been modeled using 9
different mathematical drying models (Henderson and Pabis, Logarith­
mic, Midilli, Newton, Page, Quadratic, Two-term, Verma, and Wang and
Singh) [26,28]. Eqs. (1) and (2), calculate the drying rate (DR) and
moisture ratio (MR) of carrot slices during dehydration, respectively:
Mt2 − Mt1
DR = (1)
t2 − t1
Mt − Me
MR = (2)
M0 − Me
where Mt2 and Mt1 are the MC of the carrot slices at times t2 and t1. Also,
where Mt, Me, and Mo are the MC of the carrot slices at time t, equilib­
rium, and fresh slices on a dry-basis (g moisture/g dry matter) [26].
Regression analysis was done using Matlab software (version
R2012a) for estimation models constants [29]. The r (coefficient of
determination), SSE (sum of squared error), and RMSE (root mean
squared error) values were the three criteria utilized to estimate the fit of
F. Salehi et al.
the experimental data. When the highest r value is combined with the
least amount of SSE and RMSE values, a satisfactory fit between the
actual data and the correlations is established.
2.6. Calculation of effective water diffusivity (Deff)
The diffusion coefficient (Deff) or diffusivity of carrot slices at various
pretreatments and Hot-air drying can be determined using Fick’s second
law of diffusion by Eq. (3):
[ 2 ] Total
8 − π Deff t
MR = 2 exp
π 4L2
where Deff is the effective water diffusivity (m2/s), L is the half-thickness
of carrot slices (0.0025 m), and t is dehydration time (s). For fruit and
vegetable drying procedure modeling, the formula 3 can be simplified as
a straight-line equation by taking logarithms on both sides (Eq. (4)):
8 π2 Deff t
LnMR = Ln( 2 ) −
π 4L2
The Deff can be maximally generated through the slope by plotting Ln
(MR) with t (experimental drying duration, s) from the experimental
data. The slope obtained is used to Eq. (5) [28]:
π 2 Deff
Slope = −
4L2
2.7. Rehydration rate
To test the water absorption (rehydration ratio) of dried carrot slices,
the dried slices were first weighed and were placed in water bath (at
50 ◦ C). A 1:50 wt ratio of carrots to water was assumed. Then, after 30
min, it was taken out from the water and weighed with a balance with a
precision of 0.01 g. The rehydration tests were performed in triplicate
and the mean values were recorded. Water absorption was calculated by
Eq. (6).
Mr
Rehydration ratio = × 100
Md
In this formula, Mr is the weight of the carrot slice after reabsorbing
water and Md is the weight of the dry carrot slice.
2.8. Color indexes and shrinkage
In the L*a*b* space, L* is lightness/darkness that ranges from 0 to
100, a* is redness/greenness that ranges from − 120 to 120 and b* is
yellowness/blueness that ranges from − 120 to 120 [30]. Carrot slices
were photographed using a scanner (HP Scanjet-300). The image of each
slice was converted from RGB to L*(lightness), a*(green/red), and b*
(blue/yellow) indexes using an Image J software (V.1.42e, USA)
[31,32].
The surface shrinkage values of the carrot slices during dehydration
process and after rehydration were determined using Image J software
(V.1.42e, USA). The surface shrinkage (ΔS) values of the carrot slice
were calculated using Eq. (7):
S0 − St
ΔS = × 100
S0
where ΔS is the surface shrinkage (%), S0 and St (cm2) are the areas of
fresh and dried carrot slices, respectively.
2.9. Statistical analysis
All measurements were conducted by triplicate and a completely
randomized design was used for statistical analysis [33]. The dehydra­
tion tests of carrot slices were carried out in a factorial design and the
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671
Table 1
Results of analysis of variance for drying time of pretreated carrot slices by
microwave and ultrasound.
Sources of changes Degrees of Sum of Mean P
freedom squares square
Pretreatment 1 5880.0 5880.0 0.000
Time 4 20145.0 5036.3 0.000
Pretreatment × 4 1845.0 461.3 0.022
Time
Error 20 2550.0 127.5
29 30420.0
(3)
means were compared via Duncan’s multiple range test using an alpha
level of 0.05 for significant effects, using SPSS Version 21 (N = 3).
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Drying time (DT)
(4)
In this work, the average MC of fresh carrot slices was 90.77 % (wet
basis). Statistical analysis of empirical results confirmed that the pre­
treatments type (MWP and USP), pretreatments time, and its in­
teractions, have a considerable effects on the DT of carrot slices (p <
0.05) (Table 1). Fig. 2 presents the impact of pretreatment type (MWP
(5) and USP) and time on the DT (%) of carrot slices. The DT of pretreated
carrot slices was lower than the nontreated samples under all conditions.
The average DT of nontreated, microwave-treated, and ultrasonic-
treated carrot slices were 225.0, 158.8, and 193.8 min, respectively.
The DT of carrot slices reduced by increasing the MWP and USP time.
With prolongation the MWP time from 15 to 60 s, the DT of carrot slices
inside the dryer was decreased from 190.0 to 130.0 min (p < 0.05). In
line with the results of this research, Motevali et al. [10] reported that
the use of MWP to dry pomegranate arils before convection drying re­
duces the samples DT compared with convection drying without pre­
treatment. Motevali and Hedayati [5] research results also indicated a
reduction in apple DT through the application of MWP. Additionally,
these researchers reported that the longest apple DT (345 min) was
(6)
associated with the control sample, and the shortest DT (75 min) was
also associated with the microwave-pretreated sample.
By prolongation the USP time from 5 to 20 min, the DT of samples
was decreased from 215.0 to 170.0 min (p < 0.05). Results of the Wang
et al. [18] study demonstrated that USP decreased the DT of treated
samples by 16.7–25.0 % compared with the nontreated kiwifruit slices.
Also, Fijalkowska et al. [34] reported a 13–17 % reduction in DT for USP
apple slices compared to un-treated slices.
Ultrasonic waves propagate longitudinally through liquids and
gases, alternating between compression and expansion phases, much
like a spring stretches and then relaxes. The pressure is higher than
normal where the molecular layers of the medium are compressed, and
the pressure is lower in areas of low density. Changes in ambient pres­
sure create cavities and form air bubbles. This process repeats
compression and expansion multiple times until the bubble reaches its
maximum volume. Eventually, a powerful explosion or bubble collapse
occurs (cavitation process) [17,19]. The influence of MWP and USP time
on the water loss rate of carrot slices during drying in the dryer is shown
in Fig. 3. As seen in this Figure, the application of MWP and USP have
(7) increased water removal from carrot slices and, as a result, improved the
drying rate of the samples. Similar results were also reported for papayas
[35], apple [34], carrot [36], and kiwifruit slices [18] after the USP. In
addition, the same trends were also reported for orange slices [37], and
myrtus fruit [9] after the MWP process.
3.2. Effective water diffusivity coefficient (Deff)
Pretreatment and drying conditions can greatly influence the water
diffusivity of fruit and vegetable slices [17]. The impacts of pretreatment
3
F. Salehi et al. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671

Fig. 2. Effect of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments on the drying time of carrot slices (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U = ultrasound). According to the
one-way ANOVA and the Duncan post hoc test, different letters above the columns indicate a significant differences (p < 0.05).

Fig. 3. Effect of microwave (A) and ultrasound (B) pretreatments on the water loss of carrot slices during drying in the dryer (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U
= ultrasound).

type and time on the Deff values of carrot slices are presented in Fig. 4. < 0.05). The average Deff value of nontreated carrot slices during drying
The Deff values of pretreated samples by 15–60 s microwave and 20 min in the dryer was 6.71 × 10− 10 m2 s− 1. The Deff values were varied from
ultrasound were significantly more than the nontreated carrot slices (p 8.69 × 10− 10 to 10.96 × 10− 10 m2 s− 1, and from 7.56 × 10− 10 to 9.39 ×

4
F. Salehi et al. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671

Fig. 4. Effect of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments on the effective water diffusivity coefficient (Deff) of carrot slices (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U =
ultrasound). According to the one-way ANOVA and the Duncan post hoc test, different letters above the columns indicate a significant differences (p < 0.05).

Table 2
The constants and coefficients of the Page model.
Pretreatment Pretreatment time k n SSE r RMSE

Nontreated 0 0.0014 1.4500 0.0067 0.9979 0.0208

Microwave 15 s 0.0042 1.2700 0.0023 0.9993 0.0121

30 s 0.0050 1.2583 0.0024 0.9992 0.0126
45 s 0.0062 1.2600 0.0018 0.9994 0.0106
60 s 0.0069 1.2603 0.0012 0.9996 0.0090

Ultrasound 5 min 0.0024 1.3783 0.0075 0.9978 0.0221

10 min 0.0022 1.3523 0.0081 0.9976 0.0223
15 min 0.0023 1.3557 0.0108 0.9968 0.0268
20 min 0.0066 1.1867 0.0086 0.9973 0.0239

et al. [37] used MWP before vacuum-drying of orange slices. Their re­
sults indicated that the use of MWP reduced the DT of samples and
enhanced the dehydration rate, Deff, and rehydration capacity.

3.3. Fitting of drying models

The drying behavior of pretreated carrot slices by microwave and

ultrasound in dryer was fitted with the Page model (Eq. (8)). This
equation demonstrated an excellent performance with the maximum r-
value (greater than 0.9963) and the minimum SSE values (lesser than
0.0122) and RMSE values (lesser than 0.0286) for all runs. The deter­
mined constants of the Page equation consist of k and n are presented in
Table 2 along with matching statistical error values for all dehydration
experiments. The SSE, RMSE, and r values were in a range from 0.0007
to 0.0122, 0.0069 to 0.0286, and 0.9963 to 0.9997, respectively, were
found for the Page equation employed to estimate the drying kinetics of
carrot slices in this work.
MR = exp( − ktn ) (8)
Fig. 5. Comparison of fitted data by Page model with experimental results of
Fig. 5 presents the similarity of fitted MR data using the Page equation
moisture ratio (ultrasound time = 10 min).
by test results (ultrasound time = 10 min). The findings confirm that the
Page equation is appropriate for estimating the drying rate of carrot
10− 10 m2 s− 1, for samples pretreated by microwave and ultrasound,
slices under all conditions. Wang et al. [18] reported that the Page
respectively. Fernandes et al. [35] used the ultrasound process to
model acceptably predicted the rehydration properties of dehydrated
improve the mass (water and sugar) loss of papayas before hot-air dry­
kiwifruit slices. Modeling and kinetic study of microwave-assisted dry­
ing. The results presented that the Deff was increased after treatment by
ing of ginger and onion with simultaneous extraction of bioactive
ultrasound causing a decrease of about 16 % in the dehydration duration
compounds was studied by Khan et al. [1]. The results of antioxidant
of papayas. Results obtained by Karimi et al. [9] for myrtus fruit and by
activity and total phenolic content of the condensates obtained by
Rostami Baroji et al. [36] for carrot showed that MWP applied before
microwave-assisted drying and extraction technique were higher than
drying influenced mass transfer rate and Deff values in comparison with
that of the conventional method. Furthermore, they reported that the DT
dehydrated nontreated samples. In another study, Özkan-Karabacak
was reduced by up to 100 times compared to hot air drying and the

5
F. Salehi et al. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671

Table 3 the nontreated sample under all conditions. In addition, the lightness
Results of analysis of variance for rehydration ratio of pretreated carrot slices by values of carrot slices decreased by increasing the MWP time. But, it was
microwave and ultrasound. increased by increasing the USP time. The finding of Liu et al. [38]
Sources of changes Degrees of Sum of Mean P confirmed that the USP can improve the color (higher lightness) of dried
freedom squares square cranberries. In our work, the average lightness values of nontreated,
Pretreatment 1 40991.9 40991.9 0.000 microwave-treated, and ultrasound-treated dried carrot slices were
Time 4 3141.0 785.3 0.186 59.46 %, 54.56 %, and 63.53 %, respectively.
Pretreatment × 4 14382.2 3595.6 0.001 Color changes in fruit products caused by ultrasound waves are
Time
ascribed to be due to cavitation that occurs during processing [39,40].
Error 20 9157.4 457.9
Total 29 67672.6 The redness index (a*) values of pretreated carrot slices by microwave
and ultrasound were significantly more than the nontreated slices under
all conditions (p < 0.05). With increasing the MWP time from 15 to 60 s,
moisture ratio of the dried samples was best described by the Midilli the redness values of dried samples were increased from 37.52 to 40.74
model. (p > 0.05). Also, by prolongation the USP time from 5 to 20 min, the
redness values of samples were increased from 37.92 to 41.28 (p >
3.4. Rehydration rate 0.05).
Oxidation and temperature can influence the color of processed food
Statistical analysis of the test results confirmed that the pretreatment products, high temperatures and oxidation make them darker while
type (MWP and USP) and its interaction with pretreatment time had a Millard reaction can speed up the production of yellow pigment [39].
considerable influence on the rehydration rate of carrot slices (p < 0.01) The yellowness index (b*) of pretreated carrot slices by microwave were
(Table 3). But, pretreatment time does not significantly affect the higher than the nontreated slices under all conditions (p > 0.05). But,
rehydration rate of carrot slices (p > 0.05). The impacts of pretreatments the yellowness index values of pretreated carrot slices by ultrasound
type (MWP and USP) and time on the rehydration ratio of carrot slices were lower than the nontreated slices under all conditions (p < 0.05). In
are reported in Fig. 6. The rehydration values of pretreated carrot slices addition, the yellowness values of carrot slices increased by increasing
by microwave were more than the nontreated slices under all conditions the MWP time. But, it was decreased by increasing the USP time. The
(p > 0.05). But, the rehydration values of pretreated carrot slices by average yellowness values of nontreated, microwave-treated, and
ultrasound were significantly lower than the nontreated samples under ultrasound-treated dried carrot slices were 39.69, 41.43, and 32.00,
all conditions (p < 0.05). The average rehydration ratio of nontreated, respectively.
microwave-treated, and ultrasound-treated carrot slices were 432.3 %, The impacts of pretreatments type and time on the surface shrinkage
449.2 %, and 360.9 %, respectively. The rehydration ratio of carrot of carrot slices are reported in Fig. 8. The surface shrinkage of pretreated
slices increased by increasing the MWP time. But, it was decreased by carrot slices by microwave were higher than the nontreated samples
increasing the USP time. With increasing the MWP time from 15 to 60 s, under all conditions. But, the surface shrinkage of pretreated carrot
the rehydration ratio of dried samples was increased from 438.8 % to slices by ultrasound were significantly lower than the nontreated slices
465.1 % (p > 0.05). But, by prolongation the USP time from 5 to 20 min, under all conditions (p < 0.05). In addition, the surface shrinkage of
the rehydration ratio of samples was decreased from 382.1 % to 346.7 % carrot slices increased by increasing the MWP time. The mean surface
(p > 0.05). The effect of MWP on the rehydration rate of dried sweet shrinkage of nontreated, microwave-treated, and ultrasound-treated
cherries was examined by Salehi et al. [26]. The authors confirmed that dried carrot slices were 71.80 %, 75.61 %, and 52.38 %, respectively.
the rehydration amount of treated sweet cherries was significantly more Sharifian and Hosseini Ghaboos [11] used an osmotic–microwave dryer
than the nontreated samples (p < 0.05). for drying of pumpkin slices. Their results showed that the lowest of
shrinkage was associated with pumpkin slices dried at 100 W (71.09 %)
and significant differences were observed between samples. Also, the
3.5. Surface color indexes and shrinkage
pumpkin slices dried by microwave at 100 W showed lower darkness
compared to 300 W and 500 W.
The impacts of pretreatments type (MWP and USP), and time on the
surface color indexes (L*, a*, and b*) of carrot slices are presented in
4. Conclusion
Fig. 7. The lightness index (L*) of pretreated carrot slices by microwave
was lower than the nontreated sample under all conditions. But, the
MWP and USP processes can accelerate water transfer in the drying
lightness index of pretreated carrot slices by ultrasound was higher than

Fig. 6. Effect of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments on the rehydration ratio of carrot slices (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U = ultrasound). According to
the one-way ANOVA and the Duncan post hoc test, different letters above the columns indicate a significant differences (p < 0.05).

6
F. Salehi et al. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 101 (2023) 106671

Fig. 7. Effect of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments on the lightness (A), redness (B), and yellowness (C) of carrot slices (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U
= ultrasound). According to the one-way ANOVA and the Duncan post hoc test, different letters above the columns indicate a significant differences (p < 0.05).

procedure and decrease DT for food products. In this work, the influence
of MWP and USP and their treatment time on the thin-layer drying
characteristics of carrot slices was studied. Our results showed that the
pretreatments type (MWP and USP) and time influenced on the water
loss rate, Deff, rehydration ratio, color parameters and surface shrinkage
of dried carrot slices. This study showed that MWP and USP can be a
useful pretreatment methods for carrot slices which decreased the DT of
fresh samples. The DT of nontreated carrot slice was longer than the
treated slices. The Deff values of pretreated samples by microwave and
ultrasound were higher than the nontreated samples. The water transfer
rates of carrot slices were described by the Page and Fick models, in
which the Page’s equation was shown to be the most suitable. The
lightness index of pretreated carrot slices by microwave were lower than
the nontreated samples under all conditions. While, the redness,
yellowness, and surface shrinkage parameters of pretreated samples by
microwave were higher than the nontreated slices. The lightness and
redness parameters of pretreated carrot slices by ultrasound were higher
than the nontreated samples under all conditions. It is anticipated from
the outcomes that the research will be helpful to prepare value-added
dried agricultural products in future researches. Also, ultrasound and
microwave pretreatments will be more promising methods for carrot
slices pretreatment before drying procedure in food industries.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Fakhreddin Salehi: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data cura­
tion, Formal analysis, Investigation, Software, Validation, Writing –
original draft, Writing – review & editing. Kimia Goharpour: Data

7
F. Salehi et al.
Fig. 8. Effect of microwave and ultrasound pretreatments on the surface shrinkage of carrot slices (NT = nontreated; M = microwave; U = ultrasound). According to
the one-way ANOVA and the Duncan post hoc test, different letters above the columns indicate a significant differences (p < 0.05).
curation, Formal analysis, Software. Helia Razavi Kamran: Data
curation, Formal analysis, Software.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
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