About 35%-40% of all fruit and vegetable products processed in India are wasted due to moisture in the water. This problem can be significantly improved if dehydration is used. Dehydration technology can not only prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, but also better preserve the nutritional value of food. This article will detail the many advantages of dewatering technology for fruit and vegetable processing.
India's fruit and vegetable production ranks first and second in the world, accounting for 10%-15% of global weight. With the continuous deepening of food processing technology, the diversification of agricultural agriculture in India continues to increase, and the added value of agricultural products is also increasing. Although the output is among the highest in the world, the fruits and vegetables that actually enter the food processing industry account for only 2% to 3% of the total output. This ratio is very low compared to countries such as Brazil (30%), the United States (70%) and Malaysia (82%). Dr. S Rajarathnam, head of the Fruit and Vegetable Technology Department of the Food Technology Research Institute, said, “The output of fresh fruit and vegetable products is 51 million and 72 million tons respectively. However, according to data released by the Food Industry Organization in 2008, only 3% of the fruits and vegetables have been processed. Channels, and only one-third of them use dehydration."
Anil Jain, executive director of Jain Irrigation Systems, explained, “Indians’ favor for fresh fruits and vegetables far exceeds that of fruits and vegetables. They are not particularly sorry for fruits and vegetables that are not available all year round. However, although they are currently out of fruits and vegetables, The demand is not large, but the growth rate is very stable. In recent years, fruit and vegetable will gradually be accepted by the public."
Dehydration process
Dehydration technology is considered to be the best technology for preserving fruit and vegetable products because moisture in fresh produce can cause food spoilage. Fruit and vegetable products after removal of moisture have a longer shelf life. In order to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetable products, processors have thought of a variety of methods, the most common of which include hot air drying and vacuum drying. Among them, the dehydration process is the most feasible. Sonali Dutta, vice president of corporate affairs at Bry-Air (Asia), said: “The preservation technology of vegetables is very modern and is very different from traditional drying processes. Some vegetables use freezing technology, while others use freeze-drying or specific The technique of drying under temperature is preserved. These techniques preserve the taste, color and aroma of vegetables well."
Govind Hardikar, executive director of Hardikas's Food Technologies, also shared the same view. “The dehydration process completes the transition from raw produce to retail products. With dehydration technology, many agricultural products can be supplied all year round. Usually large food companies have their own drying plants or hire small businesses that specialize in dehydration processing,†he said. Selling fruits and vegetables through traditional channels is basically difficult to achieve."
The dehydration process of the fruit and vegetable products is carried out in a closed environment, by physical means, under specific temperature and humidity conditions. Therefore, the dehydrated fruit and vegetable products can maintain an attractive appearance, nutritional value and flavor, and at the same time meet health standards. The dehydrated fruit and vegetable products are also subjected to some treatment, and then canned, sealed and sterilized so that they can be stored for a long time. This technology is especially suitable for fruits such as mango, banana, citrus, ginseng, fig and other vegetables such as potatoes, spinach, broccoli and carrots.
Many fruits and vegetables are sliced ​​and made into a powder after dehydration. In order to preserve the nutritional value, this process must be carried out at low temperatures. The vacuum dryer can well preserve the aroma of fruits and vegetables. This process does not require any raw materials, so the powder product is of high purity. Dr. Rajarathnam pointed out: “Dehydration technology is to remove the humidity in fresh fruits and vegetables, which is not the same as hot air, vacuum or freeze-drying technology. In addition, compared with hot air drying, osmotic dehydration technology can better preserve mango, papaya and The original taste, color and taste of sliced ​​fruits such as pineapples."
Hot air systems have many types of energy, such as electricity, gasoline, and firewood. Green leafy vegetables can be boiled in boiling water to keep green. In the treatment of fruits, the infiltration process is carried out before dehydration, thereby improving the nutritional value, preserving the original taste, and making the dehydrated fruit more close to the fresh fruit.
Total export value
Dehydration of fruits and vegetables is intended to preserve excess food. With the increasing degree of urbanization, people hope that the supply of food will be more perfect. Therefore, although most of the world's food is still in fresh condition, the demand for fruit and vegetable is still increasing.
The demand for dehydrated fruit depends on the income, price and changes in people's consumption patterns, especially in urban areas. Dehydrated vegetables are widely used in the food processing industry. With the continuous improvement of production, marketing methods and processing techniques, the room for growth is enormous. In addition, the demand for fruit and vegetable exports in overseas markets is also growing.
“The export market for sliced ​​fruit and vegetable flour is very large, and the export status of onions and garlic is quite stable. Many orders are concentrated on sliced ​​fruit and vegetable flour. The only problem is that due to the large order volume, sufficient investment is needed. For investors, this is a great opportunity to open up new markets," Hardikar pointed out.
There are several reasons why dehydrated foods have such huge potential in exporting. First, due to dehydration treatment, the volume and weight of foods are greatly reduced, thereby reducing transportation costs. Second, the shelf life of foods is greatly extended. These fruits and vegetables products are also available for immediate delivery during the off-season. Dr. Rajarathnam agrees, he said, “As long as the proper processing technology and equipment are used, the quality of production can be guaranteed. The reason why dehydrated food is very suitable for export is because it greatly reduces the volume and moisture, thus reducing transportation costs. It has effectively extended the shelf life. Many countries in Europe, America and the Gulf region are the main customers of Indian fruit and vegetable products. Many mushroom products are also exported to overseas after dehydration treatment."
Bright future
Among the many dehydrated products, in addition to the permeation-dehydration and vacuum drying technologies, freeze-drying technology is another very good choice, and its cost is about 25 times higher than that of hot air drying. The taste, taste and color of the lyophilized food after rehydration are more ideal. Jain mentioned, “The most widely used is air drying technology. In addition, many processors will try microwave drying and vacuum drying, but the success rate is not high.â€
“The challenges facing dehydrated foods in the future include how to sell at the right price at the right time, how to compete with fresh produce, how to compete with other countries of origin, and quality standards and energy consumption,†explains Jain.
In addition, there is a huge room for processing and marketing of fruit and vegetable products. “The future development trend is very worth looking forward to. The growers are gradually beginning to understand and implement the requirements put forward by the food industry, and the dietary habits of local consumers are gradually changing.â€
As the research progresses, the drying technology will be widely used in the present and subsequent years. This will greatly help India to improve its own advantages and become one of the world's leading fruit and vegetable producing areas.