Thermal condition of mate (Ilex paraguariensis) processing

ABSTRACT: The Ilex paraguariensis is a species native to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentine, valued by its positive effects on human health. Mate processing consists of the following stages: pre-drying (rapid drying at high temperature, known as sapeco operation), drying, and milling. In order to verify the current process and to propose future improvements to the mate processing, thermal and mass balance analysis were applied to industrial mate processing units. Results showed that the consumption of energy in sapeco and drying operations exceeds the calorific input necessary for these operations. These results verify the need for a change in the management of temperatures in the sapeco and drying stages of mate processing in order to optimize the consumption of energy, resulting in lower costs, with positive effects on the quality of the mate products.

摘要：巴拉圭冬青（Ilex paraguariensis）为原产于巴西、巴拉圭与阿根廷的物种，因其对人体健康的有益功效而备受珍视。马黛茶（Mate）加工流程包含以下工序：预干燥（即高温快速干燥作业，亦称sapeco工序）、干燥与粉碎。为验证现有加工流程并提出马黛茶加工的后续改进方案，研究团队对工业级马黛茶加工单元开展了热质平衡分析。结果表明，sapeco工序与干燥工序的能源消耗超出了该工序所需的热量输入。上述结果证实，需优化马黛茶加工中sapeco工序与干燥阶段的温度管控，以实现能源消耗优化、降低生产成本，同时对马黛茶产品品质产生积极影响。