Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
AR Parmar and NK Dhamsaniya

Abstract:
Drying is a process that removes water from biological products, resulting in solid forms. It extends the shelf life of perishable items and reduces costs involving in packing, storage and shipping. Different generations of drying techniques are used for specific materials. Traditional sun drying has limitations, which have been overcomed by hot air, oven and infrared drying. Osmotic dehydration preserves nutrients but cannot achieve desired moisture levels. Freeze drying has low output and high costs. Specific drying methods have their challenges, such as quality loss and high investment. Refractance window drying is a fourth-generation technique widely used for drying the liquid or puree of fruit and vegetable. This technique offers cost and energy savings, as well as maintain the product quality especially for heat-sensitive produces. This article summarises the working principle of refractance window drying and its effects on different biochemical parameters viz., anthocyanin, vitamin C, carotenoids, antioxidant activity and colour of the produces.