Microwave-Vacuum Dehydration in Food Processing

Drying process has been used by humans for ages to preserve and store food and agricultural commodities. This process of removing moisture from food is mainly employed to preserve and increase its shelf life. In the recent decades, a variety of drying techniques have been utilized to overcome the drawbacks of various dehydration processes. One such drying technologies developed in the current decades is microwave vacuum drying. The food products are dried using microwave radiation energy under a vacuum environment. The use of microwave energy speeds up drying and prevents products from reaching greater drying temperatures used in hot-air drying conditions. Due to this reason the dried food product quality characteristics and nutritional values are retained to a great extent. The current developments in microwave vacuum drying technology are covered in this chapter, along with the underlying concepts and product applications.