Drying of agricultural crops
DRYING OF FOODS AND CROPS
AGRICULTURAL CROPS IN HUMAN DIET
Depending on their composition, agricultural crops are vital for human nutrition because they include vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Certain crops are typically abundant and very seasonal. The selling price of crops drops too much during peak seasons, which causes the grower to suffer significant losses. Moreover, this causes an unneeded stock to accumulate in the market, which ruins a lot of food. Owing to its seasonality, crops needed to be preserved throughout time so they could be used in other seasons. Crops that are preserved can save significant waste and be sold for a profit during the off-season.
Dehydration is another method that has been tried to increase the shelf life of crops due to the seasonality of their availability. Crops have been dried using a variety of methods. Adoption of these technologies in the field or in rural areas seems to be challenging because they require advanced equipment and skill training.
DRYING METHODS OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS
Reducing moisture at the lowest possible cost is one of the primary objectives in the design and optimization of industrial drying systems. Currently, one of the main factors contributing to the process’ sustainability is climate energy conservation. When biological materials are dried, moisture loss causes physical and internal structural changes that have an impact on the dried product’s final quality characteristics. As a result, it might also have an impact on the rate at which water is absorbed after brief exposure to high humidity, which could have an impact on the product’s susceptibility to handling.
There are numerous methods for drying out there. The most popular method uses air to apply heat by convection, which removes moisture from the product as vapor. Artificial and solar drying are two instances of this. Additional methods of drying include vacuum drying and fluidized bed drying, which involve keeping agricultural products under vacuum while evaporating and fluidizing the material with water. Crops that are susceptible to heat should use these techniques. Another technique is drum drying, which uses a heated surface to generate energy; another is spray drying, which atomizes liquid particles to extract moisture, such as that found in milk powders. The food sector frequently uses these techniques to create powdered goods with extended shelf lives. Drum drying works particularly well with heat-sensitive materials.
