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Agriculture
Volume 15
Issue 22
10.3390/agriculture15222347
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Tray-Rotating Microwave Vacuum Drying of Scutellaria baicalensis Slices: Multivariate Links Between Bioactive Retention, Color, and Sensory Quality

by
Zewen Zhu
,
Guojun Ma
*,
Xiaopeng Huang
,
Fangxin Wan
,
Xiaoping Yang
,
Pan Wang
,
Ying Liu
,
Changsheng Kang
,
Yuqing Zheng
and
Zepeng Zang
College of Mechanical and Electronical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2025, 15(22), 2347; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222347
Submission received: 24 September 2025 / Revised: 30 October 2025 / Accepted: 5 November 2025 / Published: 11 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Agricultural Product Quality and Safety)
Versions Notes

Abstract

To improve the drying efficiency and quality of Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) for both medicinal and beverage purposes, this study examined the effects of temperature, vacuum degree, and rotation speed during rotary microwave vacuum drying. The study focused on drying kinetics, physicochemical properties, and sensory quality of the Scutellaria slices. Multivariate analyses, including hierarchical cluster and correlation network analyses, were used to explore the relationship between parameters and quality. Results showed that the method significantly reduced drying time and improved moisture migration. It also preserved active components like baicalin, wogonoside, total phenolics, and polysaccharides, with high antioxidant activity maintained. Temperature was the key factor. The best balance was achieved with 50 °C, −75 kPa, and 4.2 rad/s, resulting in high drying efficiency, a sensory acceptability score of 8.8, turbidity of 12.4 NTU, and strong antioxidant capacity. Cluster analysis distinguished microwave-vacuum-dried samples from those dried by traditional methods (natural air-drying and hot-air drying). Correlation network analysis revealed positive links between sensory acceptance, active components, and liquor clarity. This optimized parameter set is recommended for producing high-quality Scutellaria ingredients for consumers.
Keywords: S. baicalensis; active constituents; quality attributes; tray-rotary microwave vacuum drying; network analysis; structure–activity relationship S. baicalensis; active constituents; quality attributes; tray-rotary microwave vacuum drying; network analysis; structure–activity relationship

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhu, Z.; Ma, G.; Huang, X.; Wan, F.; Yang, X.; Wang, P.; Liu, Y.; Kang, C.; Zheng, Y.; Zang, Z. Tray-Rotating Microwave Vacuum Drying of Scutellaria baicalensis Slices: Multivariate Links Between Bioactive Retention, Color, and Sensory Quality. Agriculture 2025, 15, 2347. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222347

AMA Style

Zhu Z, Ma G, Huang X, Wan F, Yang X, Wang P, Liu Y, Kang C, Zheng Y, Zang Z. Tray-Rotating Microwave Vacuum Drying of Scutellaria baicalensis Slices: Multivariate Links Between Bioactive Retention, Color, and Sensory Quality. Agriculture. 2025; 15(22):2347. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222347

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhu, Zewen, Guojun Ma, Xiaopeng Huang, Fangxin Wan, Xiaoping Yang, Pan Wang, Ying Liu, Changsheng Kang, Yuqing Zheng, and Zepeng Zang. 2025. "Tray-Rotating Microwave Vacuum Drying of Scutellaria baicalensis Slices: Multivariate Links Between Bioactive Retention, Color, and Sensory Quality" Agriculture 15, no. 22: 2347. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222347

APA Style

Zhu, Z., Ma, G., Huang, X., Wan, F., Yang, X., Wang, P., Liu, Y., Kang, C., Zheng, Y., & Zang, Z. (2025). Tray-Rotating Microwave Vacuum Drying of Scutellaria baicalensis Slices: Multivariate Links Between Bioactive Retention, Color, and Sensory Quality. Agriculture, 15(22), 2347. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222347

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