Abstract:In order to determine a better microwave drying mode to shorten drying time，reduce the energy consumption of drying，and obtain chestnut slices with no obvious browning in appearance，fixed power continuous（FPC-MD），fixed power intermittent（FPI-MD），and variable power continuous（VPC-MD）modes were studied.Effects of microwave frequency，microwave power，and drying time on drying characteristics and energy consumption of chestnut slices were analyzed under the above three modes，and better microwave drying modes were compared.The results showed that under the frequency of 915 MHz and 2 450 MHz，VPC-MD was the best microwave drying mode for chestnut slices.Specifically，the drying time of VPC-MD at 915 MHz was 120 min.The microwave energy consumption per unit mass was 7.6（kW·h）/kg，and the drying efficiency was 2.22%，which both were better than the other two microwave drying modes.The drying time and microwave energy consumption per unit mass of VPC-MD at 2 450 MHz were 60 min and 3.3（kW·h）/kg，and the drying efficiency was 4.40%，which were all better than the other two microwave drying modes.VPC-MD at 2 450 MHz was significantly better than that at 915 MHz in terms of drying time，microwave energy consumption per unit mass，luminance L*，and drying efficiency.In conclusion，VPC-MD at 2 450 MHz showed a shorter drying time and lower energy consumption，and it was suitable for continuous production requirements，which made it a promising method for drying chestnut slices.