Fresh seaweeds collected from the sea are usually dried prior to industrial processing.
Drying significantly affects the nutritional values of seaweed samples.
It has been shown that high-temperature drying and cooking significantly affect the nutritional value of the brown seaweed .
In Ireland, drying of seaweeds for the production of different grades of seaweed meal is routinely carried out in rotary dryers.
Different drying methods have varied effects on the nutritional, functional and biological properties of seaweed. Wong and Chikeung Cheung compared oven drying and freeze drying for extractability and quality of proteins. They found that oven-drying significantly improved the protein extractability and the in vitro protein digestibility of three Sargassum species investigated.
Conventional air drying is a simultaneous heat and mass transfer process, accompanied by phase change which makes it a high-costprocess.
To reduce drying costs and to improve drying efficiency of biomaterials, researchers have investigated various
pre-treatment technologies including ultrasonication, microwaves and osmosis