MODULE 5 DRYING AND DEHYDRATION

Drying is a method of food preservation that reduces the moisture content of food without the use of equipment
Sun-drying is an example of drying that utilizes heat from the sun
Solar dryer A secure equipment for sun-drying
Dehydration is a method of food preservation that reduces moisture content with the use of an equipment
Cabinet dryer / Dehydrator A drying equipment that uses electricity to distribute heated air
Water- an essential solvent that is needed in biochemical reactions in living organisms.
Water activity- amount of water available for hydration of material and it is equal to Equilibrium relative humidity
(ERH).
High water activity- 0.8 greater “moist”
Low water activity- 0.7 or less “dry”

Free Water vs Bound Water

Free -weakly bonded water molecules.
Bound -strongly binding sites may include the hydroxyl groups of polysaccharides, the carbonyl

Food Preservation by controlling water activity (CSDDF)

 Concentration and Sugar preservation
 Salting
 Dehydration
 Freeze drying

Food Drying Methods (19)

o Sun Drying – oldest and simplest way of water removal.

it can dry up to 15% to 25%
o Artificial drying or dehydration Drying Equipment heated by gas, electricity or steam called.
It dries as low as 1% to 5%., examples are milk powder, instant coffee
o Solar Dryer- ventilate moisture.
o Tray/Cabinet Dryers -the food is spread out
o Tunnel Dryers -a development of tray dryers adapted for larger throughput.
o Roller or Drum Dryers- food is spread over the surface of a heated drum.
o Fluidized Bed Dryers - upward flowing air stream.
o Spray Dryers-liquid or solid material in a slurry is sprayed
o Pneumatic Dryers-the solid food particles are conveyed rapidly in an air stream.
o Rotary Dryers-the food is being heated in a horizontal inclined cylinder
o Trough Dryers-the food is dried through a trough shaped conveyor belt
o Bin Dryers- the food is heated through a bin
o Belt Dryers- the food is spread into thin layers on a horizontal mesh
o Vacuum Dryers-same with tray dryers, except they operate vacuum
o Foam Mat dryer-a foaming agent is added
o Freeze Dryers -the gentlest and most expensive drying method.
o Cold Drying- it is used for products such as herbs and spices
o Kiln Drying -Dying is from the heat generated by burning the food product like copra.
o Frying or Oil Drying-Oil is used as medium to remove water from food

Advantages of Dried and Dehydrated Foods (DCS)

 Decrease in weight and bulk.
 Convenience.
 Shelf stable.

Two process of Drying: (HM)

1. Heat transfer -getting heat into the food.
2. Mass transfer -getting the water out of the food.
Factors that affects the rate of drying: (HSTAVA)
 Humidity. The drier the air the more rapid is the rate of drying.
 Surface area. Food to be dried is cut into small pieces to have a larger surface area
 Temperature. The greater the temperature difference between the food and heating medium,
 Air Velocity. Air in motion picks up the moisture
 Ventilation. Moisture laiden air has to escape from the drying chamber.
 Atmospheric pressure and vacuum. At a constant temperature, a decrease in pressure, increases the rate of
boiling.

Stages of Drying (CF)

1. Constant Rate Period-the water is being evaporated from what is effectively a free water surface.
2. Falling Rate Period- as drying proceeds the moisture content falls

Types of Food to Dry

 All fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat, fish

Case Hardening. It occurs when drying takes place too fast.

Uniform Drying. Spread thin layers of uniform-sized.

Factors affect the length of time for drying: (TAHTAS)

 Temperature
 Air circulation
 Humidity
 The kind of food
 Amount of food
 Sizes of food

1. Commercial Drying Process, a test tray is designated and this is taken out by weighing
2. Small scale or home processing, squeezing a few pieces of the product
3. Dried jerks are dark brown to black.

Conditioning/Sweating-The product is stirred with a sanitized spatula

Packaging and Storing- Dried products should be stored in a cool, dry place.
When stored properly, dried foods can last for 4 months to 1 year.
The temperature should be between 16 to 27 degrees C.

PACKAGING MATERIALS (PVIBL)

Polyethylene Bags- a lightweight, transparent plastic bag
Vacuum Sealer – seals package by clamping down the open end of the bag
Impulse sealer -seals two layers of plastic together by lifting the sealing arm
Band sealer- features a conveyor belt
Labelling- Food labels communicate the ingredients and manufacture details
Philippine Consumer Act (Republic Act No. 7394)

Suitable material for packaging

 Rigid: glass (jars, tumblers or jugs)
 Semi rigid: aluminum and laminated paperboard boxes
 Flexible: plastic, plastic laminates, plastic film
Moisture Content- refers to the quantity of water contained in a food sample
Importance: helps determine the shelf-life of food
Instrument for measurement: Moisture Analyzer
Unit of measurement: %MC
Formula: %MC = [(Wet Weight – Dry Weight)/ WW] x 100

Water Activity (Aw)- refers to the amount of “free” or “non-chemically bound”

Importance:

 used as a critical control point for HACCP programs

 more relevant in affecting shelf life, texture, flavor, and smell

 at certain Aw levels, microorganisms proliferate

Aw
E. coli or Pseudomonas 0.94-0.99
Staphylococcus aureus 0.85
Bacillus subtilis 0.90

Microbial proliferation slows down below a water activity level of 0.50

Instrument for measurement: Water Activity Meter
Unit of measurement: Aw ranges between 0-1