Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Darshan G, Chetna Goswami, PY Faaiz and Srinivas T

Abstract:
Insufficient postharvest handling, storage, and processing technologies can result in a major issue of postharvest losses in agricultural and horticultural crops. Drying has been a typical food preservation approach to mitigate these losses and increase product shelf life. Traditional drying procedures, on the other hand, might have a detrimental influence on product flavour, colour, and nutritional characteristics due to high temperatures. As a result, there is a need for alternate drying technologies that can preserve product quality and nutritional value. Refractance window drying (RWD) is a thin-film drying process that employs high rates of heat and mass transfer to remove moisture from materials. RWD creates a drying "window" by spreading the product over a transparent plastic film, resulting in lower product temperatures and faster drying through all modes of heat transmission. Compared to traditional drying methods such as drum, hot air, freeze, and spray drying, RWD requires lower drying temperatures, shorter drying times, and lower costs and energy usage. This review paper explores recent RWD trends and their impact on food quality attributes, highlighting the differences between RWD and other drying technologies.