Industrial microwave equipment is generally divided into three stages

Industrial microwave equipment achieves the desired drying and sterilization effects at lower temperatures compared to conventional thermal heating, thanks to the combined action of thermal and non-thermal effects. Microwave heating ensures uniform temperature distribution and high product quality, not only preserving the original nutritional components of food to a high degree, but also maintaining the color, aroma, taste, and shape of the food.

Industrial microwave equipment

Microwave is an electromagnetic wave that can generate a high-frequency electromagnetic field. Dielectric materials consist of polar and non-polar molecules. Under the influence of an electromagnetic field, polar molecules shift from their original random distribution to align and orient according to the polarity of the electric field. In the presence of a high-frequency electromagnetic field, this causes molecular motion and mutual friction, thereby generating energy and continuously raising the temperature of the dielectric material.

Industrial microwave equipment is used to treat food with microwaves, rendering microorganisms in the food inactivated or dead, thereby achieving the purpose of extending the shelf life. On the one hand, when microwaves penetrate into the interior of food, polar molecules such as water molecules in the food continuously change their polarity direction, leading to a sharp increase in food temperature and achieving the effect of sterilization.

On the other hand, the non-thermal effect of microwave energy plays a special role in sterilization that conventional physical sterilization does not possess. Under the influence of a microwave field of a certain intensity, bacterial cells undergo changes in their biological arrangement and movement patterns. Simultaneously, they absorb microwave energy and heat up, causing the proteins within their bodies to be affected by both non-polar thermal motion and polar rotation. This results in changes or destruction of their spatial structure, leading to protein denaturation and ultimately loss of biological activity.

Therefore, microwave sterilization mainly relies on the thermal and non-thermal effects of microwaves to cause mutations and destruction of proteins and physiologically active substances within microorganisms, ultimately leading to cell death.

In summary, industrial microwave equipment generally has three stages. The first stage involves rapid temperature rise to reach the predetermined sterilization temperature, during which a strong and uniform energy density is typically applied. The second stage is the heat preservation process, which maintains a uniform temperature of the sterilization material. The third stage is the natural or forced cooling process