Food Dehydration Process - Methods of Dehydrating

Dehydrated fruits, vegetables and meat items are getting famous among most of the people. Therefore these products create a huge market all around the world. Therefore it is good to know about dehydration process and various methods that can be used to dehydrate food products. 

Sun drying

This is the general practice since many years. Still in most of our home we used to dry things using this sun drying method. Sun drying is very effective in places with long periods of hot sun specially countries near to equator. Also anywhere with a minimum temperature of 28 – 30 C with less relative humidity is suitable. Normally foods take several days to dry thoroughly. Place on a mesh screen and cover with a second screen to protect from dirt and animals.

Air drying

Same as sun drying, air drying is also a common practice of dehydrating foods. The main difference is that air drying usually takes place in the shade. This is suitable for foods which need less heat to dry such as leaves and herbs.

Solar drying

An advance method of sun drying. Since there are no heaters or fans to circulate the air, solar drying uses zero electricity. Solar dryers work outdoors and can be designed as per the required size, and shape.

Solar Dryer Arrangement

Oven drying

Your home oven can be used to slowly dry food at temperatures around 60 C. Normally ovens are designed for higher temperature applications. However you can use this method for some home made quick dried foods. Make sure to maintain temperature around 60 C or below. Otherwise foods will be cooked instead of drying.

Dehydrators

With the market advancement of dehydrated food, special appliances were designed for commercial dehydration purpose. These dehydrators equipped with fans and elements to quickly and efficiently dry your food. These dehydrators can be powered with electricity, Gas, Kerosene, wood or any other method.

Dehydrating in a microwave oven

If you have a small amount of food to dehydrate, you can consider using your microwave set on ‘defrost’ to dry fruits and herbs. In general, microwaved fruits will take 20 to 40 minutes to dry fully, but keep checking on them so you don’t overdo it. 

 

If you are planning to make lot of dehydrated foods it is advisable to find a commercial dehydrator with more surface area as the amount of time take to dehydration process is anywhere from 5 to 14 hours. Properly packed, dehydrated fruits can last up to five years and vegetables up to ten. If you are going to consume non-meat items within a year, keep them in freezer bags or reusable storage bags with the air squeezed out. For long-term preservation, vacuum packing is the best.