Northwest A&F University: Heat pump drying of honeysuckle, chlorogenic acid content is twice the standard specified in the pharmacopoeia
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Honeysuckle can be used as both medicine and food, and has the effects of reducing swelling and detoxification, antibacterial effects, detoxification and diarrhea, and lowering blood lipids. Honeysuckle can promote the phagocytic ability of white blood cells and enhance immunity, especially the biological activity of "chlorogenic acid" contained in the flower, which can promote the body's metabolism after entering the body, regulate human functions and help improve the body's immunity.
Drying is an important link that affects the quality of honeysuckle products. Traditional honeysuckle drying mostly adopts natural drying or coal-fired drying, which can easily cause honeysuckle to turn black, a large amount of effective ingredients to be lost, and quality to decline. Under the requirements of continuous optimization of food drying technology and carbon reduction and environmental protection, the use of new intelligent green drying equipment is the general trend.
The 2015 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the main active ingredient of honeysuckle, chlorogenic acid, should not be less than 1.5% calculated on a dry basis. The medicinal effect of honeysuckle depends on the content of chlorogenic acid, the main active ingredient, after the final drying. The content of the active ingredient directly determines the value of the product, thus affecting the economic benefits of the drying process.
The main author of the national standard "General Technical Requirements for Air Source Heat Pump Drying of Honeysuckle" (GB/T39363-2020) - Professor Liu Guangzhe's team from Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University proved through experiments that the chlorogenic acid content of honeysuckle dried by air source heat pump is higher than that of honeysuckle from farmers' cooperatives by using three-stage drying (45℃-50℃-55℃); the chlorogenic acid content of honeysuckle can reach 3.04% after temperature drying, which is twice the standard of 1.5% stipulated in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, ensuring the minimum loss of chlorogenic acid content in honeysuckle.
Table 1 Comparison of chlorogenic acid content in honeysuckle by constant temperature drying and three-stage temperature drying
Note: The air source heat pump test site is located in Fuping County, Shaanxi Province, and there is a honeysuckle planting base around it. We specially selected samples of honeysuckle from farmers' cooperatives using two drying methods, natural drying and machine drying, from the honeysuckle production base to test and compare the chlorogenic acid content.
In addition, moisture is an important characteristic indicator of honeysuckle drying after harvesting. On the one hand, it is directly related to the storage quality after drying, and on the other hand, moisture affects the active ingredients in honeysuckle. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2010-2015 edition clearly defines that the moisture content of dried honeysuckle shall not exceed 12%.
Professor Liu Guangzhe also found through research that under the condition that the target moisture content shall not exceed 12%, the time for drying honeysuckle with air source heat pump (drying temperature 55℃) is significantly shortened, and the whole drying time is 11.5~12.5h. It greatly saves electricity and has obvious economic benefits.
Table 2 Changes of honeysuckle moisture content with drying time at constant temperature of 55℃
Figure 1 Trend of water content of honeysuckle under temperature 55℃
Air energy heat pump drying equipment uses hot air circulation as heat source, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly, efficient and high-quality, safe and intelligent, and has precise temperature control, which is conducive to ensuring the color, fragrance and quality of honeysuckle.
As a precious Chinese medicinal material, honeysuckle has always had a high and stable market demand. The honeysuckle industry has also become a pillar industry for economic growth in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Guizhou and other places. The air source heat pump drying technology and equipment will improve the quality and efficiency of honeysuckle processing and bring considerable economic value to farmers. Practice has proved that heat pump drying is the best way to dry honeysuckle.
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