Project Report on Fruits And Vegetables Drying By Freeze Drying Method Eiri-1039

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.