Drying Methods

1. Sun Drying
Sun drying is mostly used in dry, warm climates. This is a very slow drying method (several
days). It is mostly used for fruits, vegetables, and fish. An advantage of this method is the fact
that it is quite inexpensive; however, disadvantages include long drying periods (up to several
weeks) and the risk of invasion by insects, birds, rodents, and microorganisms
2. Spray Drying
Spray driers are used to produce the greatest quantities of commercially dehydrated foods. Spray
driers are restricted to use with liquid foods since the principle of the operation is the
introduction of the food as a spray of small droplets into a high velocity stream of warm air.

Spray-drying is used to remove water from a free-flowing liquid mixture, thus transforming it
into a powder product. The fluid to be dried is first atomized by pumping it through either a
nozzle or a rotary atomizer, thus forming small droplets with large surface areas. The droplets
immediately come into contact with a hot drying gas, usually air. The liquid is very rapidly
evaporated, thus minimizing contact time and heat damage. Disadvantages include, the size of
the equipment required to achieve drying is very large, and very oily materials might require
special preparation to remove excessive levels of fat before atomization. Ultra-sonication in the
chamber can be used instead of complex atomization to produce small-diameter droplets in
spray-drying.
Because droplet sizes are small, drying rates are very rapid and high quality dehydrated food
products can be produced. Foods most commonly dehydrated by spray driers include skim milk,
coffee, tea and eggs. You will note that the equipment is designed to maximize drying rate, to
produce dry particles of uniform size and to prevent sticking of partially dry food particles to the
walls of the spray driers. You should also note that spray driers operate continuously, that is, the
product is sprayed into the drying chamber and the dried product and moist air are separated and
removed from the driers.
3. Tray and Tunnel Air Drying
Food placed on trays or racks is exposed to heated air at a set velocity. Air drying requires heated
air, with a relative humidity lower than that of the product to be dried. Water soluble components
migrate to surface of food and are deposited as water evaporates. The dried food has relatively
poor re-hydration properties, is shrunken in appearance and is very dense. Products dried this
way are: pasta, vegetables, fruit, spices. The diagram below shows the sequence of events that
occur during dehydration of fruit tissue.

4. Fluidized bed drying

Fluidized bed drying is usually carried out as a batch process and requires relatively small,
uniform, and discrete particles that can be readily fluidized. It is a process by which particles,
typically greater than 50 microns, are fluidized and dried. For the material to become fluidized,
the particulates are placed under conditions that cause it to behave like a fluid. This technique
involves movement of particulate matter in an upward-flowing gas stream, usually hot air.
Fluidization mobilizes the solid particulates, thus creating turbulences on the solid surfaces,
which increases drying rate. The hot gas is introduced into the bottom of a preloaded cylindrical
bed and exits at the top. In some cases, a vibratory mechanism is used to increase the contact of
the product with the hot gas.. The main advantages of fluidized bed drying are uniform
temperature and high drying rates, thus less thermal damage. A rotating chamber is also used
with a fluidized bed, thus increasing centrifugal force to further increase the drying rate and
mixing. The use of a solid carrier, such as sea sand, and wheat bran could be used to prevent the
bio material from deterioration due to thermal shock.
 5. Drum Drying
In a drum dryer, a heated hollow metal drum rotates on its longitudinal axis, which is partially
dipped in the solution or food paste to be dried. The solution is carried as a film on the surface of
the dryer and dried to form a layer. A suitable knife scraps the dried material near the end of a
full rotation of the drum.
Dehydrated mashed potatoes and some ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are dried this way. Some
popular low fat snack foods and potato chip like products contain drum dried potato flakes as the
primary ingredient
 6. Freeze Drying

Freeze-drying or lyophilization is a dehydration technique based on the sublimation of water in a

product. This means that the product’s water content transitions from a solid to a gaseous state
— or from ice to vapor — without going through the liquid state

Freeze-drying is considered a high quality dehydration method for a couple of reasons;

• it operates at low temperatures, which contributes to preserving a product’s nutritional

value, taste, appearance, and heat-sensitive compounds

• freezing inhibits chemical and microbiological processes, which significantly delays the
product’s deterioration (thereby extending its shelf life)

Working Principle

Raw foods are comprised of about 80%–95% water, which can be divided into “free” and
“bound” water. While free water freezes, bound water doesn’t . In the freeze-drying process, all
free water and some bound water must be removed, and free water must remain frozen at all
times. In fact, this is the primary difference between freeze- and vacuum-drying — and the most
challenging step

The freeze-drying process can be divided into three steps

1. Freezing: The product is often frozen under atmospheric pressure.

2. Primary drying: Also known as proper freeze-drying, this is the sublimation step in
which frozen free water is removed.

3. Secondary drying: Also known as desorption drying, it’s the drying of products to their
desired humidity by removing the remaining bound water.

Freeze-drying should be performed in controlled conditions that do not melt the water, seeing
that the presence of liquid water may change the product’s composition, shape, and physical
properties. That would likely lead to a significant reduction of the product’s shelf life. Once
frozen water is removed via sublimation, the remaining product develops a highly porous
structure. However, adding water rehydrates the product again almost immediately. (1Trusted
Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source

Here’s a list of some of the foods that can be freeze-dried

• Fruits: strawberries, apples, blackberries, bananas, pears, oranges, and fruit puree

• Vegetables: almost all vegetables, such as carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, peppers,

pumpkin, and tomatoes

• Meats: beef, fish, chicken, eggs, pork, turkey, and shrimp

• Grains: rice, beans, pasta, quinoa, and polenta

• Frozen meals: whole meals like Pad Thai, stews, chili, and snacks

• Beverages: milk, juices, coffee, and tea for instant drinks

• Spices: ginger, oregano, mint, basil, and garlic

• Sweeteners: maple syrup for sugar powder

 7. Vacuum Microwave Drying
This vacuum microwave technology was developed by Dr. Tim Durance and Dr. Frank Liu at
the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. The technology consists of a
combination of vacuum (in order to keep the temperature low) and microwaves (for ultra-rapid
energy transfer), producing high quality products with less nutrient loss, better flavour retention,
and less colour change. Vacuum microwave dried (VMD) products retain a more natural
appearance and have the advantage of complete re-hydration (reconstitution). VMD is a quick
drying method when compared to freeze drying and air drying methods (VMD can take only a
few minutes, compared to hours in freeze drying).
8. Deep Fat Frying
During deep fat frying, the high temperature of hot oil causes water in the food to evaporate
rapidly, often accompanied by substantial pick up of oil by the food being dried. Dried foods
such as potato chips have a low water content (as well as a low water activity) but a high oil
content. Many snack foods and bakery products, such as donuts, are produced by means of deep
fat frying. Do you know how instant noodles are made? After cooking and shaping, the noodles
are dried either by deep-fat frying or non-frying (hot-air) drying. Frying is usually done at 140-
150°C for 1-2 minutes, while hot-air drying uses a temperature of about 80°C for 30 min. The
two drying methods yield products that differ greatly in fat content.

9. Extrusion (cooking) Drying

Slurry of food is passed through a tube, under pressure, that is heated by steam. The moist heat
causes starch gelatinization and cooking of the product. Product is forced though a narrow
opening (a die which can produce a product with a variety of shapes) at the end of the tube and
escaping steam causes the dehydrating product to puff. Many ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and
snack foods are produced this way.
 Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals Puffed cereals, flaked cereals, high-fiber
strands
Snacks Puffed snacks, Crispbreads
Confections Licorice, some chocolates
Texturised protein Soy meat-analogues , "processed" cheese
Infant foods Biscuits, weaning cereals

Packaging Requirements for Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrated foods, because of their low water activity, are hygroscopic (readily pick up
moisture). The primary requirement that must be met by packaging material used with
dehydrated foods is that there must be no transmission of water vapour from the surrounding
environment to the food.
In the case of freeze dried foods, the packaging material may have to provide physical
protection to prevent the food from becoming crushed during distribution and handling.