Drying of Foods

Drying is a mature unit operation in many areas of processing, including foods. It may be one of the earliest methods of food preservation discovered. In addition to preserving foods from spoiling by reducing water activity to levels at which harmful microorganisms cannot grow, drying can significantly alter the physical properties of foods, including weight, volume, color, texture, and flavor. Some of these alterations may be desirable, while others are not. It is usually a goal of a drying pro…