Project Report on Fruits And Vegetables Drying By Freeze Drying Method [EIRI-0705]

Preservation of foods by drying them is perhaps the oldest method known. Large quantities of  fruits are dried in the sun in different parts of the world such as Asia Minor, Greece, Spain and  other Mediterranean countries, Arabia, Afghanistan, Australia etc. The modern method of dehydration, i.e. drying fruits and vegetables under controlled conditions of  temperature and  humidity is, however,  assuming importance as a major industry. The dehydration industry got an  impetus during the World War II. On account of their concentrated form, low cost, convenience and easy transportability, dried fruit and vegetable products and also other dehydrated foods became highly popular among the armed forces. Dehydrated vegetables, however, lost some  of  their popularity owing to some undesirable changes in colour,  taste and flavour during storage  and distribution. Dehydration techniques have since been greatly improved to get over most of these defects so that the modern dehydrated food is really a first class product in every way. It is sometimes said that  the dehydration industry will one day be the most important one among the  food  preservation industries employing various  other  well-known methods of preservation such as canning, freezing, addition of  chemical  preservatives,  etc. There is scope for advanced scientific as well  as  development work  in the  field  of  food dehydration, especially  of  fruits and vegetables.