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ScienceDirect
Innovative pre-treatments to enhance food drying:
a current review
Beatriz Llavata1, José Vicente Garcı́a-Pérez1, Susana Simal2 and
Juan Andrés Cárcel1
The application of pre-treatments before drying represents an
alternative to better preserve fresh food properties and reduce
the energy needs. The aim of this review was to analyse the
influence of different pre-treatments (ultrasound, pulsed
electric fields, high pressure processing or ethanol) on drying.
For this purpose, the effect on food matrices, drying kinetics
and different quality parameters has been addressed through
the review of the most recent studies. The results can differ
greatly depending on the type of pre-treatment and the product
considered but, in some cases, an increase in the drying rate
and a better retention of quality can be observed. Even so, it is
necessary to continue studying these pre-treatments to better
understand the effect caused.
Addresses
1
Analysis and Simulation of Agro-food Processes Group, Food
Technology Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de
Vera s/n, E46022, Valencia, Spain
2
Department of Chemistry, University of the Balearic Islands, Ctra.
Valldemossa, km 7.5, E07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Corresponding author: Cárcel, Juan Andrés (jcarcel@tal.upv.es)
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
This review comes from a themed issue on Food engineering and
processing
Edited by Pedro ED Augusto
For a complete overview see the Issue and the Editorial
Available online 14th December 2019
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2019.12.001
2214-7993/ã 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Drying is one of the oldest, widely applied food preser-
vation operations. It consists of the reduction in the water
content slowing down microbial or enzymatic degradation
reactions. The quality of the product obtained depends
largely on the methodology used. Generally, processes
that involve low temperatures (such as freeze-drying)
require long drying times, so high temperature drying
techniques are more extensive, although this may
compromise the quality. So, the food industry faces the
challenge of achieving shorter drying times under
moderate conditions and maximizing product quality.
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
Conventionally, the use of different pre-treatments has
been one of the most commonly followed strategies. In
this sense, the blanching of vegetable tissue, one of the
most widely used pre-treatments, implies enzymatic inac-
tivation, intracellular air expulsion, a reduction in colour
and taste loss, as well as an improvement in the drying
rate [1]. Another conventional pre-treatment is osmotic
dehydration. It consists of the introduction of the food
matrix into a hypertonic solution which entails a partial
loss of water, shortening the subsequent drying time, and
reducing the gain of solids, which results in products with
better organoleptic or functional properties [2].
In recent years, the introduction of emerging technologies
as drying pre-treatments has come under consideration.
The application of ultrasound, pulsed electric fields, high
pressures or ethanol pre-treatments does not involve high
temperatures but can shorten the drying time, improve the
final quality of products, and is more environmentally
friendly because of the lower energy consumption.
The aim of this paper is to review the current findings in
some of these alternative pre-treatments addressing their
effectiveness at drying enhancement as well as the
influence on quality parameters, such as the retention
of bioactive compounds, the colour or the texture of the
final product.
Pre-treatments
Ultrasound
Ultrasound (US) consists of mechanical waves with a
frequency greater than 20 kHz. When applied with
enough energy, it produces effects, such as cavitation,
the successive compressions and expansions of the
treated material or an intense microstirring at interfaces,
which facilitate mass transfer (Figure 1a). However, the
large impedance difference between the generator
systems and gas media makes the propagation of the
waves quite difficult [3]. This is the reason why the offer
of commercial transducers for liquid systems, where it is
easy to propagate the acoustic waves, is greater than for
gas systems. In this sense, many studies can be found
that deal with the application of ultrasound in hyper or
hypotonic solutions as pre-treatments before drying.
The pre-treatments in hypertonic media (osmotic
dehydration, OD) result in water loss (WL) and solid
gain (SG) in the matrix treated. US application during the
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 Innovative pre-treatments to enhance food drying: a current review Llavata et al. 21
Figure 1
(a) ULTRASOUND
+ -
Electroporation
FOOD
MATRIX
(b) PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD
Marangoni
Effect
High surface
Low surface
tension
(d) ETHANOL PRE-TREATMENT
Main effects induced by the different pre-treatments.
OD process can contribute to enhance the mass flows.
The stress produced by US generates microchannels that
make the water movement inside the solid matrix easier.
Moreover, the weakening of the cellular structure and the
creation of microcracks facilitate the penetration of
soluble solids into the structure. In this sense, US has
been observed to be effective in mass transfer during OD
in blueberries [4] and carrots [5]. Generally, the longer the
pre-treatment time [6–8], the higher the frequencies
[9,10] and the more ultrasonic power applied [11], the
more significant the effects of US.
In the case of US pre-treatment in hypotonic media, the
sample can also undergo a series of microstructural
changes such as the deformation of cell walls that results
in the appearance of microchannels and pores. Some
authors have studied the microstructure of pre-treated
materials as a means of better understanding the US
effect [12,13]. Thus, Wang et al. [14], studying the case
of carrots treated from 360 to 1080 W (30 min, 20 kHz), or
Wu et al. [11] analyzing Pakchoi stems treated from 300 to
900 W (30 min, 20 kHz), found that the higher the
ultrasonic powers is, the greater the effect on cell
structures will be. The immersion time needed to achieve
the desired effect also depends on the food matrix to
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Cavitation
(c) HIGH-PRESSURE PROCESSING
Water
Ethanol
tension
Current Opinion in Food Science
be treated. Thus, Wang et al. [15] observed that the
kiwifruit treated at 20 kHz and 400 W needed at least
20 min to achieve pore formation, while Miano et al. [16]
found that at least 60 min of immersion were required in
the pre-treatment of potato at 25 kHz and 364 W.
All these microstructural changes lead to a clear improve-
ment in the mass transfer during subsequent drying. In
this way, it has been reported that US pre-treatment
significantly shortens the drying time in processes, such
as freeze-drying [17], hot air drying [18], microwave [19]
or infrared [12]. Generally, the longer the pre-treatment
time is, the greater the US effect will be, increasing the
effective diffusivity of water during drying [16,20]. Thus,
a drying time reduction of 26% was reported in persim-
mon fruit [8] when a 20 min pre-treatment was applied,
but this reduction was 39% when a 30 min pre-treatment
was considered. The US power applied also has a
significant influence on the drying rate. Thus, in the case
of Pakchoi stems [11], a drying time reduction of 25% was
obtained when applying 300 W, but this was of 32% when
applying 600 W or 42% when it was 900 W; or in bananas
[21] with a 14% shorter drying time when using 500 W
and 22% shorter when applying 1000 W. The drying time
is correlated with energy consumption as has been
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
22 Food engineering and processing
observed during the drying of different products, such as
almond [20], walnut [19], or potato [18].
However, other authors did not find a significant influence
on the drying rate of the US pre-treatment. Thus, Corrêa
et al. [22] attributed the non-effect of the US pre-treatment
to the non-porous product structure and the high fibre
content. In addition, the use of a highly concentrated sugar
solution can make the US transmission difficult as a result of
the energy losses due to viscosity. Mierzwa et al. [5] also
attributed the non-effect of the US pre-treatment to the
absorption of solids from the osmotic dehydration that
could block the pores of the food matrix and thereby worsen
the water transfer.
In contrast, the improvement of mass transfer in liquid
pre-treatments brought about by US can lead to an
enhanced loss in bioactive compounds. Thus, vitamin
C can be diluted in the solution due to its soluble
character and facilitated by the microchannels formed
in the food. This has been observed in strawberry [9],
kiwifruit [15] or Pakchoi stems [11]. Losses in phenolic
compounds in the osmotic solution have also been
reported in persimmon fruit [8], strawberries [9] and
pomegranate arils [10]. Nevertheless, the drying time
reduction produced by US pre-treatment involves less
exposure to the high temperatures during drying. In this
sense, a greater vitamin C final content has been found in
quince slices [23] and honeyberry fruits [24] and a greater
phenolic compound content in quince [23], banana [21]
and sweet potatoes [25].
Colour plays a crucial role in the final consumer acceptance
of products. In this sense, the shorter time exposure to
drying produced by the US pre-treatment can reduce the
colour changes with regards to the fresh product
[15,21,26]. Moreover, when the US propagation is carried
out in hypertonic media there is an uptake of solids and a
release of gas from the food, which permit a better
retention of pigments, as has been observed in plums
[27] or strawberry [28]. On the contrary, in other materials,
such as carrots [5] or tilapia fillets [29], the uptake of solids
during OD affects the colour negatively.
Texture is another important parameter in terms of
product quality. Exposure to US and the subsequent
drying results in changes in the tissues. In this sense,
the formation of cracks and microchannels caused by
sonication softens the structure, producing food with a
lower degree of hardness and elasticity, as observed by
Wang et al. [14] working on carrots or Zhao et al. [12]
studying shiitake mushrooms. On the contrary, although
the US pre-treatment in hypertonic media can reduce
hardness in the early stages of pre-treatment, there is a
subsequent increase due to the progressive uptake of
solids, as was observed in the cases of strawberry [9]
and pomegranate [10].
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
Pulsed electric field
Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology consists of the
application of very short, high voltage, electric pulses to
the food matrix. Its main effect is electroporation, which
is the formation of pores (permanent or reversible) in the
cell membrane (Figure 1b), facilitating the mass transport
through it. This technology has been studied for different
applications, such as the intensification of compound
extraction [30], non-thermal pasteurization [31] or
the improvement of drying. The cell disintegration
index (Z-index) has been widely used to quantify the
level of electroporation induced by PEF and depends on
variables, such as matrix structure [32], treatment inten-
sity [33,34] or number of pulses [35].
PEF has been used as a pre-treatment in different drying
processes, such as osmotic dehydration, vacuum drying,
convective drying or freeze-drying. Thus, Yu et al. [36]
observed that in the osmotic dehydration of blueberries, the
PEF pre-treatment (3 kV/cm) can significantly accelerate
the WL and SG rates. Some studies [37,38] point to a
more pronounced effect on water diffusivity than solute,
probably due to membrane selectivity as well as the greater
molecular weight of solids. The PEF pre-treatment also
increases the kinetics of vacuum drying. The level of
sample damage can depend on both the product and the
conditions. Thus, when working on blueberries, Yu et al.
[39] observed that the PEF can increase the proportion of
damaged samples due to the pressure gradient generated.
However, when drying basil leaves, Telfser and Gómez-
Galindo [35] found no increase in the amount of damage
done. As regards convective air drying, the PEF pre-
treatment of samples can increase the drying velocity
[34,40,41]; the greatest effects are found when drying is
carried out at moderate temperatures. For example, 45 C
for onion (1.07 kV/cm) [33] and blueberries (3 kV/cm) [39],
50 C for potatoes (0.6 kV/cm) [42] or 60 C for carrots (0.9
kV/cm) [32]. In the case of other products, such as parsnips
(0.9 kV/cm) [32], PEF effects can be more marked when
drying at higher temperatures (70 C). These apparently
contradictory effects can be explained by the different
interaction of PEF with the initial structure (porosity,
cellular shape and size . . . ) and composition of samples.
The electropermeabilization can also significantly enhance
freeze-drying processes, as reported by Lammerskitten
et al. [43] when studying apple. However, the effectiveness
does not reach the levels achieved in other drying
processes. Thus, when studying the drying of basil,
Telfser and Galindo reported drying time reductions of
57%, 33% and 25% for convective, vacuum and freeze-
drying respectively [35].
As concerns the effect of the PEF pre-treatment on the
retention of the bioactive compound, no clear trend has
been found. In some cases, it has been reported that the
use of PEF has not brought about any significant losses in
antioxidant capacity [36,39]. Moreover, PEF treatments
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 Innovative pre-treatments to enhance food drying: a current review Llavata et al. 23
combined with sulphites [40] or multicomponent solu-
tions [37] can allow the uptake of components which
improve the antioxidant activity of products. On the
contrary, other studies reported that the electropermea-
bilization produced a greater migration of water and other
compounds, facilitating the degradation activity of
enzymes, which results in a decrease in antioxidant
capacity [36,39]. In this sense, Lammerskitten et al.
[44] observed both an antioxidant degradation effect
and the formation of new phenolic compounds during
the drying of apple samples pre-treated with PEF. In
contrast, the pre-treatment can affect the antioxidant
compounds, such as carotenoids, in different ways. Thus,
Huang et al. [40] observed that the PEF pre-treatment led
to an increase in the b-carotene in dried apricots (45 C)
due to a better extraction as a consequence of electro-
permeabilization. This was not observed by Fratianni
et al. [45] when studying dried carrots (50–70 C), which
can be attributed to the fact that PEF made these
compounds more sensitive to high temperatures.
Samples pre-treated with PEF generally preserve their
colour better due to the release of intercellular content
that affects the activity of some enzymes [32,37].
However, this depends on the food structure and process
conditions. In the case of basil [35] or apricot [40], for
instance, convective drying after PEF pre-treatment can
lead to a decrease in luminosity compared to untreated
samples. Nevertheless, when freeze-dying is applied, the
luminosity can increase, this is probably linked to an
increase in product porosity [44].
As for the texture, temperature can induce a greater effect on
texture than PEF in the case of convective drying. In this
sense, when working on carrots and parsnips, Lyng et al. [32]
found a higher shear stress in samples dried at high tempera-
tures (70 C) than at moderate (50/60 C), while no differences
were found between those samples that had been PEF
pre-treated (0.9 kV/cm) and those non-pre-treated at the same
temperature. On the contrary, Tylewicz et al. reported that the
PEF pre-treatment produced a dramatic reduction in
the hardness of osmotically dehydrated strawberries, this
decrease being proportional to the applied electric field
(0.1–0.2–0.4 kV/cm). This was attributed to cellular rupture
and the creation of pores that led to a softening of the samples,
although in the later stages of the process, a slight increase in
hardness could be evidenced as a result of the uptake of solids.
This softening has also been reported when studying freeze-
dried apples (1.07 kV/cm) [44]. In any case, it must be
mentioned the extremely difficult to compare results due
not only to the characteristics of the PEF applied, but also to
the subsequent drying process and to highly variable nature of
the products.
Recently, some authors have studied the combination of
PEF and US. Using both technologies for the pre-treatment
has obtained a significant shortening in the drying time of
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foods, such as carrots [46] or cranberries [47]. The order of
application of these technologies could be an important
factor. Thus, some authors have found that the application
of PEF followed by US significantly accelerated the drying
process when compared to the samples treated with
US followed by PEF [48]. In addition, the PEF + US
pre-treated samples retained not only the original colour
better, but also polyphenols, anthocyanins or flavonoids.
There are, however, still very few studies in this field.
High pressure processing
High-Pressure Processing (HPP) consists of maintaining
food under hydrostatic pressures (100 800 MPa) during a
certain period of time (Figure 1c). The liquids may be
treated directly, but solids have to be previously
packaged. This technique has been widely studied for
enzymatic inactivation [49], non-thermal sterilization
[50], high pressure assisted thermal processes [51] or
bioactive compound extraction [52]. Its application as a
pre-treatment in drying processes has also been reported.
It is known that HPP causes the modification of the
cellular structure, reducing the turgor pressure and then
affecting the permeability and mass transfer. In this
sense, Belmiro et al. [53] found a higher drying rate in
beans pre-treated with HPP, especially at high pressures
(600 MPa) and for longer times (10 min). A higher drying
rate due to better effective water diffusivity was also
found by George et al. [54], who reported a significant
effect on ginger treated at 400 MPa for 10 min, similarly
to Swami Hulle and Rao [55] when working on Aloe vera
samples. These authors found there was a greater effect of
the pressure at moderate temperatures (50/60 C), than at
higher ones (70 C). This has been demonstrated by
means of the microstructural analysis of HPP samples,
showing a more irregular structure in ginger [54], with
the evident separation of cells and thinner walls, and
without the presence of organelles in Aloe vera samples
[55]. Some of these changes have already been reported
by other authors when studying carrots, sweet potatoes
and cocoyams [56].
Changes in the cellular membrane produced by HPP led
to an improvement in the phenolic compound content,
due to their better extraction. Thus, George et al. [54]
found an increase in the 6-gingerol content of samples
pre-treated with 400 MPa for 10 min. Previous studies of
Aloe vera already obtained similar results, observing that
the antioxidant capacity remained stable or improved
during the HPP pre-treatment [55].
The influence of HPP pre-treatments on the colour of
dried products is quite limited [55], as has been observed
in studies carried out, for example, on potato [57]. In
contrast, some of these authors reported a significant
decrease in hardness and compressive strength, explained
by changes produced in the cell wall [53,54]. However,
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
24 Food engineering and processing
other authors, such as Swami Hulle and Rao [55], found
an increase in hardness due to the possible inactivation of
pectimethylesterase in treatments of Aloe vera done at
pressures above 500 MPa.
Ethanol
The application of ethanol as a pre-treatment is a simple but
efficient technique that has also been studied for the
purposes of drying intensification. The effect of an ethanol
pre-treatment is based on its ability to dissolve components
of the cell wall, causing changes in the structure and increas-
ing its permeability [58]. Moreover, the Marangoni effect
(Figure d), which is based on the formation of a surface
tension gradient between the ethanol and the food’s water
content, can significantly enhance the water transport [59].
Microstructural analyses have shown that the ethanol pre-
treated samples have more compact, thin-walled cells as
well as an intracellular air loss [60,61]. As these
structural modifications in the food matrix permitted a
greater extraction of water, significant reductions in
the drying time were reported for scallions (25%) [58],
potatoes (10%) [59] and pumpkins (49.5%) [61]. Similar
results had already been obtained by means of the
injection of ethanol into balls of mixed rice and soybean
protein [62], and in modified atmospheres during the
drying of bananas [63]. The increase in the drying rate
in samples pre-treated with ethanol can be explained by
the interaction of ethanol with water, resulting in a
mixture with higher vapour pressure. Otherwise, it is
worth noting that the combination of ethanol with other
techniques, such as vacuum drying [58], US [60,64] or
perforation [59], leads to their intensification.
In contrast, a greater retention of bioactive compounds in
dried samples that have been pre-treated with ethanol has
been reported. Thus, the absorption of ethanol could
provide greater protection against the oxidation of different
components, such as vitamin C [58]. In addition, the shorter
drying time means less exposure to high temperatures and,
therefore, greater bioactive retention [65]. A higher volatile
compound content for pineapples treated with ethanol has
also been postulated, due to the condensation of ethanol on
the sample surface [66,67].
Minor changes in colour differences have been observed
when this pre-treatment is applied due to a possible
inhibition of enzymatic activity, avoiding browning
reactions. This has been found in scallion samples [58]
and garlic [64]. With regard to the mechanical properties
of the dehydrated samples, not too much information has
been reported, so it would be interesting to carry out
further research in this field.
Conclusion
This paper reviews the effectiveness of the application of
different drying pre-treatments. The reduction in the
Current Opinion in Food Science 2020, 35:20–26
drying time achieved by pre-treating the samples can
result in a better preservation of food quality, as well as
significant energy savings. However, the extent of the
effects depends on the pre-treatment, the food matrix
considered and the objective followed. Thus, it has also
been shown that each pre-treatment has some limitations
and can sometimes lead to a loss in the quality of treated
foods. In addition, further studies are needed to evaluate
and quantify the effect of pre-treatments, especially in
the case of HPP and ethanol. Very interesting results have
been obtained through both the combination of these two
pre-treatments or via the combination of either of
them with other techniques; further research into them,
therefore, could be of special interest.
Conflict of interest statement
Nothing declared.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the
National Institute of Research and Agro-Food Technology (INIA), co-
financed with ERDF funds (RTA2015-00060-C04-02 and RTA2015-00060-
C04-03).
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