Design and Construction of a Prototype for the Lyophilization Process

This study describes the design, construction and prototype control of a lyophilizer based on parameters of freezing temperature, heating and vacuum pressure, seeking the conservation of organoleptic properties of fruits and vegetables in the region. The prototype is designed with a drying chamber insulated with expanded polyurethane and is hermetically sealed with an ap-proximate capacity of 10 lbm of fresh product distributed in 3 AISI 304 1 mm stainless steel trays. The prototype consists of 3 subsystems such as: the freezing subsystem that works at temperatures below −35 °C, the heating sub-system that adds energy in the form of heat to the food, raising its temperature to 50 °C, and the vacuum subsystem in which it is generates a pressure of −24 in Hg. Finally, the organoleptic properties of the freeze-dried beet were evaluated by duo trio analytical sensory tests and magnitude estimation, concluding that the color, flavor and smell were not modified; however, the texture of the fruit was altered, acquiring a crunchy composition.