Infrared radiation (IR) heating could be a potential alternative peeling method to address the long-term water supply and wastewater disposal issues involved in the conventional lye peeling process of pears. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of IR peeling technology as an environmentally friendly alternative practice to efficiently produce peeled pear products with superior quality and yield. A pilot IR Dry-Peeling System consisting of catalytic IR emitters, roller conveyor, and peeler remover was developed and used for this research. Effects of the pear firmness and heating time on the peeling performance and product quality were studied. Under the continuous loading condition, the most desirable peeling result was achieved for Bartlett pears in the initial firmness range of 22 to 31 N after 99 s of IR heating. The results of IR peeling indicated superior product quality with relative thin cooking ring (0.76 ± 0.20 mm), limited peeling loss (9.25 ± 1.25%), and fairly ease of peeling (5.33 ± 1.00). According to SEM photomicrographs of pericarp cross-section, IR heating caused loss of integrity and compartmentalization of cells of the hypodermal layer to only “ripe” pears (firmness of 26.5 ± 2.8 N). Thermal effect of IR heating dramatically disrupted the middle lamella of hypodermal cells and resulted in mechanical failure of those cells and subsequent layer loosening of “ripe” pears.

红外辐射（IR）加热可能是一种潜在的替代去皮方法，以解决梨的传统碱液去皮过程中涉及的长期供水和废水处理问题。这项研究的目的是研究IR脱皮技术作为一种环保替代做法的可行性，以有效生产优质和高产量的去皮梨产品。开发了由催化红外发射器，滚筒输送机和去皮机去除剂组成的中试红外干法剥离系统，并将其用于该研究。研究了梨的硬度和加热时间对脱皮性能和产品质量的影响。在连续加载条件下，IR加热99 s后，初始硬度在22至31 N范围内的Bartlett梨获得了最理想的剥离效果。红外剥离的结果表明，烹饪环相对较薄（0.76±0.20 mm），剥离损失有限（9.25±1.25％），剥离性也很容易（5.33±1.00），具有较高的产品质量。根据果皮横截面的SEM显微照片，红外加热仅使“成熟”的梨（硬度为26.5±2.8 N），导致皮下层细胞的完整性丧失和分隔。红外加热的热效应极大地破坏了皮下细胞的中间层，并导致这些细胞的机械故障以及随后的“成熟”梨的层松动。红外加热仅使“成熟”的梨（硬度为26.5±2.8 N），导致皮下层细胞的完整性和区室化损失。红外加热的热效应极大地破坏了皮下细胞的中间层，并导致这些细胞的机械故障以及随后的“成熟”梨的层松动。红外加热仅使“成熟”的梨（硬度为26.5±2.8 N），导致皮下层细胞的完整性和区室化损失。红外加热的热效应极大地破坏了皮下细胞的中间层，并导致这些细胞的机械故障以及随后的“成熟”梨的层松动。