Principles, methods and applications of the convective drying of foodstuffs

Moisture removal from solids is an integral part of food processing. Moreover convective drying is one of the most important techniques for preservation of biological products. An essential prerequisite for interpretation of the mass transport phenomena during drying is a knowledge of the equilibrium characteristics of the foodstuff. A further necessity is a knowledge of the drying kinetics and a detailed understanding of the moisture transport mechanism. During the drying process, a multiphase system undergoes simultaneous physical and structural modifications. Therefore, for accurate interpretation of this coupled het and mass transport operation, moisture transport characteristics and physical property data is essential. This paper reviews more salient aspects of convective drying of foodstuffs.