Drying is a crucial industrial process for the preservation and processing of food products. The food industry is continuously searching for cost-effective and energy-efficient drying techniques to remain competitive and meet the demand for high-quality dried food products. Despite the substantial technical literature available on food drying, it remains challenging for scientists and engineers to enhance existing drying systems and product quality. The book, consisting of 14 chapters, addresses various drying techniques, including freeze drying, atmospheric freeze drying, swell drying, multi-flash drying, electro-hydrodynamic drying, pulse combustion drying, foam mat drying, and ultrasound-assisted drying, as well as fluidized bed drying. Additionally, the book covers commodity-specific chapters, such as mushroom drying and the drying and roasting of cocoa and coffee beans. The book also addresses the degradation mechanism and kinetics of vitamin C degradation in fruits and vegetables, kinetics modeling of the drying process for the recovery of bioactive compounds, and energy calculation procedures for dryers. These topics will be beneficial in improving dryer operation and efficiency.
