Microwave Vacuum Drying of Brown Rice Koji as an Enzymic Health Food

This work was to study drying characteristics of the brown rice koji, an enzymic health food, using microwave under vacuum. Cooked brown rice was inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae and incubated at for 6 days. The brown rice koji was dried by different drying methods: microwave vacuum drying, hot air drying, vacuum drying and freeze drying. Each drier except freeze drier was set to maintain the sample temperature at . During microwave vacuum drying, the sample reached much faster (within ) and was dried much faster (2 hrs) than the other drying methods. The initial drying rate of microwave vacuum drying was ten times faster than that of hot air drying. The microwave vacuum drying produced a dry sample of the highly retained enzymic activity, followed by freeze drying, vacuum drying, and hot air drying.