Influence of convective and vacuum drying on pea grains mechanical properties and color

The effect of convective and vacuum drying of pea grains on mechanical properties and color was investigated. Drying of the pea grain results in a decrease in the geometric and arithmetic diameter, and by convective drying, the sphericity of the pea grain is disturbed. Convective drying releases moisture from the grain faster than vacuum drying. Vacuum-dried grain peas had statistically significantly lower density values than convective drying. The compression test for individual pea grains revealed statistically significantly lower values of the load for vacuum drying compared to convective drying. Microwave treatment also has a statistically significant effect on the mechanical properties and internal texture of pea grains, especially during convective drying. Vacuum drying proved to be more favorable from the aspect of color as well, while microwave treatment had a negative effect.