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Foods
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Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety
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Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 5101

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jaqueline Oliveira de Moraes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Interests: food technology; drying; non-thermal and thermal techniques; texture analysis; food preservation; food processing; quality evaluation
Dr. Marta Fernanda Zotarelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Patos de Minas 38700-002, MG, Brazil
Interests: food drying; spray drying; fermentation; physicochemical characteristics; sensory quality; surfactants; microencapsulation
Dr. Raquel da Silva Simão

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, EQA/CTC/UFSC, Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil
Interests: food drying; shelf life; physicochemical characteristics; sensory quality; food processing technology; production

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Across ancient civilizations, the practice of sun drying was employed to preserve food, ranging from fruits and vegetables to meats. While the fundamental principle of moisture removal has remained unchanged, significant advancements in methods and technologies have transformed the process over time. This evolution has not only extended the shelf life of food by eliminating moisture and preventing microbial growth, it has also facilitated transportation and storage logistics due to reductions in weight and volume.

With the onset of industrialization in food processing, more sophisticated drying techniques emerged, offering superior control over the drying environment. Today, the integration of advanced technologies and research has revolutionized the drying process, rendering it more efficient and cost-effective, creating new structures and preserving the nutritional and sensory properties of food to an unprecedented degree.

Achieving an optimal balance between drying time, temperature, and quality necessitates optimization and precise control. This Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge research and reviews that address challenges and opportunities in this field. Topics of interest include the optimization of drying processes, the impact of drying on food texture and nutrient retention, and the development of hybrid drying techniques. We also welcome studies on the economic and environmental aspects of these technologies.

Dr. Jaqueline Oliveira de Moraes
Dr. Marta Fernanda Zotarelli
Guest Editors

Dr. Raquel da Silva Simão
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • optimization of drying process
  • food preservation
  • nutritional integrity
  • shelf life extension
  • quality retention
  • texture modification
  • advanced drying technologies
  • hybrid drying technologies
  • microwave-vacuum drying
  • economic challenges in the drying process

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1574 KiB  
Article
Impact of Tray and Freeze Drying on Physico-Chemical and Functional Properties of Underutilized Garcinia lanceifolia (Rupohi thekera)
by Aradhana Boruah, Pinku Chandra Nath, Prakash Kumar Nayak, Maharshi Bhaswant, Sangeeta Saikia, Jatin Kalita, Sarvesh Rustagi, Ajita Tiwari and Kandi Sridhar
Foods 2025, 14(4), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14040705 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Garcinia lanceifolia Roxb. (Rupohi thekera), an underutilized minor fruit from Assam, holds significant potential as it exhibits substantial traditional medicinal properties. However, its preservation and utilization remain limited, necessitating effective processing techniques. This study aimed to compare the impact of tray [...] Read more.
Garcinia lanceifolia Roxb. (Rupohi thekera), an underutilized minor fruit from Assam, holds significant potential as it exhibits substantial traditional medicinal properties. However, its preservation and utilization remain limited, necessitating effective processing techniques. This study aimed to compare the impact of tray drying and freeze drying on the physico-chemical, antioxidant, and functional properties of G. lanceifolia. Fresh fruits were processed using both methods, followed by detailed analyses of nutritional composition, phytochemical content, antioxidant activity, and functional properties. Freeze drying resulted in greater retention of moisture (12.42 ± 0.81%), protein (4.44 ± 0.19%), carbohydrate content (8.29 ± 0.31 g/100 g), and reducing sugar (1.95 ± 0.12%), along with prominent color quality, while no significant difference in ash content was found for either drying method employed. Phytochemical extraction using different solvents (water, n-hexane, 80% methanol, 80% ethanol, and 80% acetone) revealed that freeze-dried samples extracted with acetone had the highest total phenolic content (634.00 ± 1.73 mg GAE/100 g), while methanol extraction yielded the highest total flavonoid content (382.33 ± 1.52 mg QE/100 g). Tray drying, on the other hand, exhibited superior DPPH and FRAP when subjected to ethanol extract (80.24 ± 0.42% and 83.83 ± 0.46 mg/100 g, respectively) and metal chelation capacity (23.69 ± 2.09%). Additionally, functional properties, such as glucose adsorption capacity and α-amylase inhibition, were found to vary between drying techniques, with freeze-dried samples showing better glucose adsorption and tray-dried samples demonstrating greater α-amylase inhibition. FTIR analysis highlighted distinct structural attributes of bioactive compounds retained through both methods. The findings underscore the potential of freeze drying for nutrient preservation and tray drying for cost-effective applications, paving the way for the industrial valorization of G. lanceifolia as a functional food ingredient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety)
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16 pages, 4125 KiB  
Article
Heat and Mass Transfer in Shrimp Hot-Air Drying: Experimental Evaluation and Numerical Simulation
by Jhony T. Teleken, Suélen M. Amorim, Sarah S. S. Rodrigues, Thailla W. P. de Souza, João P. Ferreira and Bruno A. M. Carciofi
Foods 2025, 14(3), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030428 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1007
Abstract
Shrimp is one of the most popular and widely consumed seafood products worldwide. It is highly perishable due to its high moisture content. Thus, dehydration is commonly used to extend its shelf life, mostly via air drying, leading to a temperature increase, moisture [...] Read more.
Shrimp is one of the most popular and widely consumed seafood products worldwide. It is highly perishable due to its high moisture content. Thus, dehydration is commonly used to extend its shelf life, mostly via air drying, leading to a temperature increase, moisture removal, and matrix shrinkage. In this study, a mathematical model was developed to describe the changes in moisture and temperature distribution in shrimp during hot-air drying. The model considered the heat and mass transfer in an irregular-shaped computational domain and was solved using the finite element method. Convective heat and mass transfer coefficients (57.0–62.9 W/m2∙K and 0.007–0.008 m/s, respectively) and the moisture effective diffusion coefficient (6.5 × 10−10–8.5 × 10−10 m2/s) were determined experimentally and numerically. The shrimp temperature and moisture numerical solution were validated using a cabinet dryer with a forced air circulation at 60 and 70 °C. The model predictions demonstrated close agreement with the experimental data (R2≥ 0.95 for all conditions) and revealed three distinct drying stages: initial warming up, constant drying rate, and falling drying rate at the end. Initially, the shrimp temperature increased from 25 °C to around 46 °C and 53 °C for the process at 60 °C and 70 °C. Thus, it presented a constant drying rate, around 0.04 kg/kg min at 60 °C and 0.05 kg/kg min at 70 °C. During this stage, the process is controlled by the heat transferred from the surroundings. Subsequently, the internal resistance to mass transfer becomes the dominant factor, leading to a decrease in the drying rate and an increase in temperatures. A numerical analysis indicated that considering the irregular shape of the shrimp provides more realistic moisture and temperature profiles compared to the simplified finite cylinder geometry. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed using the validated model to assess the impact of the mass and heat transfer parameters and relative humidity inside the cavity on the drying process. The proposed model accurately described the drying, allowing the further evaluation of the quality and safety aspects and optimizing the process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety)
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19 pages, 6611 KiB  
Article
Mathematical Modeling of Goat Meat Drying Kinetics with Thermal Oscillations
by Valeria Carrillo Luis, Diego Beristain Rios, Omar Augusto Hernández-Flores, Carolina Romero-Salazar and Sadoth Sandoval-Torres
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3836; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233836 - 28 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 831
Abstract
Goat meat has a high nutritional value, since it contains up to 29% protein, as well as iron, potassium and vitamin B12. To prolong the shelf life of this food, a drying process can be applied; however, there is scarce information on the [...] Read more.
Goat meat has a high nutritional value, since it contains up to 29% protein, as well as iron, potassium and vitamin B12. To prolong the shelf life of this food, a drying process can be applied; however, there is scarce information on the kinetics and drying parameters for this food material. The objective of this work was to characterize the thermal drying process of goat meat, through the mathematical modeling of convective drying kinetics, and its validation with experimental data obtained in a drying tunnel. The experiments were carried out with samples of loin (Longissumus dorsi) of Boer goat meat from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca (Mexico). Meat samples were subjected to air convection drying at 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C (with temperature oscillation), with air velocities of 1 and 2 m/s. Drying kinetics, air and meat temperature profiles, relative humidity and air flow velocity were recorded. Four models were analyzed: two-term, Midilli’s model, Wang and Singh’s model and a heuristic model with temperature dependence. The proposed mathematical models represented drying kinetics with an accurate fitting of experimental data, with standard errors (RMSE) in the range of 0.004–0.029. The estimated diffusion coefficients are consistent with the transport properties in biomaterials. The heuristic model was based on the solution of the effective diffusion equation considering the linearization of the temperature-dependent diffusion coefficient, showing a standard error in the range of 0.007–0.028, satisfactorily representing the temperature oscillations that allows a moisture diffusion reorganization, mainly when drastic temperature changes occur. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety)
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20 pages, 2658 KiB  
Article
Impact of Ultrasound Pre-Treatment on the Drying Kinetics and Quality of Chicken Breast—A Comparative Study of Convective and Freeze-Drying Methods
by Iwona Szymanska, Aleksandra Matys, Katarzyna Rybak, Magdalena Karwacka, Dorota Witrowa-Rajchert and Malgorzata Nowacka
Foods 2024, 13(17), 2850; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13172850 - 8 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1835
Abstract
Fresh meat has a limited shelf life and is prone to spoilage. Drying serves as a common method for food preservation. Non-thermal techniques such as ultrasound treatment (US) can positively affect the drying processes and alter the final product. The study aimed to [...] Read more.
Fresh meat has a limited shelf life and is prone to spoilage. Drying serves as a common method for food preservation. Non-thermal techniques such as ultrasound treatment (US) can positively affect the drying processes and alter the final product. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of US pre-treatment on the hot air (HA) and freeze-drying (FD) of chicken breast meat and the quality of the dried products. US pre-treatment had a varied impact depending on the drying method used. The contact US method extended the HA drying time (about 50%) but improved water removal during FD (about 30%) compared to the untreated samples. Both methods resulted in low water content (<8.3%) and low water activity (<0.44). While rehydration properties (RR) and hygroscopicity (H) were not significantly affected by US pre-treatment in HA drying (about 1.35% and about 1.1, respectively), FD noticed differences due to shrinkage and porosity variations (RR: 2.4–3.2%, H: 1.19–1.25). The HA-dried samples exhibited notably greater tissue shrinkage and a darker surface color than the FD meat. Ultrasonic processing holds substantial potential in creating dried meat products with tailored characteristics. Hence, meticulous consideration of processing methods and parameters is of utmost importance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Drying Technologies for Improving Food Quality and Safety)
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