Diana Paula Garcia, first master’s degree in the science of light and matter

with your thesis project Color degradation in dried plums at different temperatures and radiationDiana Paula García Moreira, a master’s degree graduate in Light and Material Science and Technology, took her certification exam and unanimously became the first female graduate to earn this graduate degree.

In this paper, García Moreira obtained the advice and guidance of the Academic Unit Professors of Light and Matter (LUMAT), Ivan Moreno Hernández and Eric C. Lopez-Vedana.

In her introduction, the teacher explained that the peach is a fruit that contains vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, phosphorous and calcium, and stressed that its production at the national level is lost by 34 percent due to the speed of its decomposition, which can be prevented through access to modern, sustainable, safe and modern energy for all. .

Explaining the justification for this research, the speaker explained that drying consumes between 12 percent and 25 percent of all industrial engineering worldwide, which is why it is not so useful. “By looking for another way to dry the fruit, we are trying to eliminate hunger, get better nutrition and achieve food security,” he stressed.

He explained in this work the search for a viable method for the production of peaches, which gives added value as they are dried. “Without the use of chemical treatments before drying the peaches, it was decided to divide and quantify the factors affecting color one by one, evaluating sugars, browning index, color in order, moisture, variation of water activity in color and drying kinetics,” he explained.

In this way, he added that the fruit was dried with a solar simulator with radiation, by means of an infrared lamp to obtain the result of increasing the drying temperature increases the non-enzymatic darkening, because it represents a red shift. And its gloss is reduced, at lower temperatures, enzymatic darkening is enhanced.

As a result of the above, a solar dryer is a viable option, as it prevents darkening and enhances yellowing, while drying at lower temperatures introduces greater oxidation and increases the sugar content.