Drying of Pears

Drying is one of the most ancient ways of preserving foods, and fruits in particular. Solar drying is the cheapest of method, but it has some drawbacks associated with weather dependence and quality control. Therefore, to find alternatives is of the utmost importance. Based on a traditional product, an open air sun dried pear with most appreciated organoleptic characteristics, a study was carried out aiming at knowing the phenomena involved in the drying of this food product. This book presents the experimental study performed, including characterization of the traditional solar drying and alternative convective dryings, shrinking and porosity, radial concentration profiles, kinetics, isotherms and nutritional properties, as well as the modelling and simulation of the drying process. It is shown that the complex traditional drying can be greatly simplified, being more adequate for industrial implementation, and giving way to similar but safer products. This is a useful book for academic as well as agricultural and industrial professionals, since it coves the engineering aspects related to the drying of pears, which can however be extended to other fruits or even other foods.