Vol. 11, Issue 1 (2022)

Author(s):
Saloni Mishra, Kumar Parth, Balavignesh V, Anantika Sharma, Nikhilesh Kumar and ER Narinder Kaur

Abstract:
Fruits and vegetables are important sources of essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Since. The moisture content of fruits and vegetables is higher than Eighty percent, they are classified as highly perishable commodities. Keeping the product fresh is the best way to maintain its nutritional value. Drying, on the other hand, is an appropriate change for post-harvest management especially in countries with a good distribution of low temperature and hand-pulling equipment. Drying is a very important process in the food industry and provides opportunities for the development of novel ingredients and products for consumers. Drying of fruits and vegetables has been principally accomplished by convective drying Some important physical properties of the products are changed by this drying technique such as loss of colour change of texture, chemical changes affecting flavour and nutrients and shrinkage Some dried fruits and vegetables are rehydrated prior to further processing and for that purpose, these fruits require a minimum quality for adequate rehydration which is not always possible with conventional convective drying. There are a number of studies that have addressed the problems associated with conventional convective drying. The high temperature of the drying process is an important cause of the loss of quality. Lowering the process temperature has great potential for improving the quality of dried products however in such conditions, the operating time and the associated cost become unacceptable.