Experiments were undertaken to study the relationship between the drying constant and the shrinkage constant of food products during drying. Three particular geometrical shapes of parallelepiped, cylindrical and spheres were selected from potatoes (aspect ratio = 1:1, 2:1, 3:1), cut beans (length: diameter = 1:1, 2:1, 3:1) and peas, respectively. The volumetric shrinkage behaviour and drying be...

Computational tools, including mathematical algorithms, specialized software, and artificial neural networks, along with the advancements in intelligence, have brought significant to industrial processes. Specifically, food drying processes, such as those employed for grains, fruits, vegetables, these tools been demonstrated play a crucial role preserving itself its nutritional value. This work...

The drying kinetics of hawthorn in a pilot-scale experimental fluidized bed dryer with and without vibration was investigated. The effect of operating parameters, such as vibration intensity, drying air flow rate, and temperature, on the drying rate and shrinkage of hawthorn was studied. The hawthorn fruit was dried at various drying air temperatures ranging from 40-70oC and drying air volume f...

The objective of this work was to determine the effects of blanching and two drying methods, open-sun drying and natural convection solar drying, on the quality characteristics of red pepper. A 2 × 3 factorial design with experimental factors as 2 drying methods (open-sun drying and use of solar dryer) and 3 levels of pepper blanching (unblanched, blanched in plain water, and blanched in 2% NaC...

Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol derived from the turmeric Curcuma longa, has been associated with a diverse therapeutic potential including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and anticancer properties. However, the poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability of curcumin have limited its potential when administrated orally. In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in a series of novel ...

Silicon nanoparticles have been successfully inserted into graphene sheets via a novel method combining freeze-drying and thermal reduction. The as-obtained Si/graphene nanocomposite exhibits remarkably enhanced cycling performance and rate performance compared with bare Si nanoparticles for lithium-ion batteries.

Freeze-drying has been considered as a good technique to improve the long-term stability of colloidal nanoparticles. The poor stability in an aqueous medium of these systems forms a real barrier against the clinical use of nanoparticles. This article reviews the state of the art of freeze-drying nanoparticles. It discusses the most important parameters that influence the success of freeze-dryin...

Chitosan nanoparticles have been prepared using an ionic gelation method. The effects of freezedrying, cryoprotectant (D-trehalose) utilisation and ultrasonication time on the mean particle size, size distribution and stability of nanoparticles were investigated. The size distribution results indicated that freeze-drying caused the particles to agglomerate. Addition of the cryoprotectant and ul...

The quest for novel technologies in the area of food processing & preservation has led to the application of fluidization technique for enhancing the process capabilities, energy efficiencies and overall quality retention in the final products. However, this paper reviews the various fruits and vegetables dried in the fluidized bed dryer and their retention of sensory attributes in the dried pr...