Food Drying and Dehydration: Technology and Effect on Food Properties

Drying food is an ancient practice, and today is one of the most commonly applied conservation methods for foods, both from animal or vegetable origin, due to the many advantages it presents. Given the importance attached to this operation of food technology this e-book aims to make a relatively simple but still comprehensive approach to the drying operation. The topics addressed include: the major regulatory mechanisms of heat and mass transfer and the transfer properties in drying; water activity and sorption isotherms; drying kinetics; the most relevant used methods of drying; examples of dried foods; the effect of drying on some physicochemical properties of food (microstructure, texture, colour, chemical composition and flavour). This book was prepared to meet simultaneously the needs of academic and industry, and in this way it could function as an easy, always ready and first choice element to start any serious consult about the theme