Different Pretreatment Methods to Strengthen the Microwave Vacuum Drying of Honeysuckle: Effects on the Moisture Migration and Physicochemical Quality

In this study, we analyzed the effects of three pretreatment methods-microwave, steam, and blanching-on the quality of <i>Honeysuckle</i> to determine the optimal pretreatment method; we then investigated the influence of different drying temperatures, vacuum levels, and rotation speeds on the drying characteristics, color, and active ingredient content of the <i>Honeysuckle</i> that was pretreated by the optimal pretreatment method during rotary microwave vacuum drying. The results indicated that a microwave pretreatment for 75 s was the optimal pretreatment method, which enhanced the retention of active ingredients and effectively improved the browning of the material. During the process of rotary microwave vacuum drying, as the temperature increased, the vacuum level rose, and the rotation speed increased, the drying rate gradually increased. However, excessively high vacuum levels and rapid rotation speeds could actually decrease the drying rate. In addition, the total phenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and various active ingredients of <i>Honeysuckle</i> dried by rotary microwave vacuum were effectively preserved. Furthermore, its rehydration properties and color were significantly superior to those dried through sun drying. The TIOPSIS method analysis showed that the optimal process parameters were a temperature of 50 °C, a vacuum level of -0.070 MPa, and a rotation speed of 35 Hz, which exhibited the highest relative closeness (0.76). The comprehensive analysis indicated that microwave pretreatment followed by rotary microwave vacuum drying was a promising drying method with potential applications in the dehydration of agricultural products and medicinal plants.