Exploring CO 2 -laser drilling: Potential for Enhanced Mass and Thermal Diffusion in Banana (Musa sapientum) Dehydration

This study addresses the efficacy of CO ₂ -laser drilling as a pre-treatment method to enhance water diffusion in banana slices during air drying, aiming to mitigate the energy and time consumption associated with traditional hot air drying in the food industry. Drilling with CO ₂ -laser resulted in a higher rate of water diffusion, inferred from the higher values in the effective diffusivity coefficient in drilled samples (up to 1.7-fold), attributable to the increased surface area to volume ratio and energy absorption. Consequently, there was a significant reduction in dehydration time, up to 40% (from 169 min in control samples to 102 min in drilled samples). After dehydration process, banana slices drilled at the largest focal distance showed an increased stiffness according to the higher effective Young's modulus and maximum force observed attributable. Therefore, combining CO ₂ -laser drilling with air-drying will represent a promising strategy for reducing dehydration times in the food industry, providing a potential solution for food dehydration.