Drying of foods is particularly important for handling and distribution
of raw materials with high moisture content and limited shelf-life
such as fruits and vegetables. Themain objective of drying of food products
is to remove free water to a level where microbial spoilage is reduced
and where a shelf stable, less perishable product is ensured.
Fruits dehydrated by convective drying should have amoisture content
of 20–25%, i.e. 0.33 kgwater/kg drymatter to assume a prolonged shelflife