DEDICATED DRYING MACHINES MANUFACTURER
Drying (dehydrating) food is one of the oldest and easiest methods of food preservation. Dehydration is
the process of removing water or moisture from a food product. Removing moisture from foods makes
them smaller and lighter. Dehydrated foods are ideal for backpacking, hiking, and camping because they
weigh much less than their non-dried counterparts and do not require refrigeration. Drying food is also a
way of preserving seasonal foods for later use.
Foods can be spoiled by food microorganisms or through enzymatic reactions within the food. Bacteria,
yeast, and molds must have a sufficient amount of moisture around them to grow and cause spoilage.
Reducing the moisture content of food prevents the growth of these spoilage-causing microorganisms
and slows down enzymatic reactions that take place within food. The combination of these events helps
to prevent spoilage in dried food.
The preservation of foods by drying is based on the fact that microorganisms and enzymes need water in
order to be active. In preserving foods by this method, one seeks to lower the moisture content to a point
where the activities of food-spoilage and food-poisoning microorganisms are inhibited. Dried, desiccated,
or low-moisture (LM) foods are those that generally do not contain more than 25% moisture and have a
water activity (aw) between 0.00 and 0.60. These are the traditional dried foods. Freeze-dried foods are
also in this category. Another category of shelf-stable foods are those that contain between 15% and
50% moisture and an aw between 0.60 and 0.85. These are the intermediate-moisture (IM) foods.
Dehydrated products readily take up moisture when immersed in a liquid medium, leading to significant
Dedicated Drying Solutions
Corporate Office
KDM Analytical
B-2/41 First Floor, Rohini
Sector-16, Delhi-110089
India
Tel
+91-9643480893
+91-9540666954
E -mail [email protected]
Application Lab
D-198, Mundka Industrial Area
Delhi-110081
web www.kdmanalytical.com