Dielectric Drying In Agri-Food Products: Review

Drying is an essential process in the preservation of agricultural products. Dielectric drying methods with radio frequency (RF) energy as emerging drying technologies have drawn much attention from both research community and industry. When properly applied, dielectric drying can be energy efficient and of great potential to be used for a wide range of materials. However there are few reviews that cover dielectric drying technologies. Such a review is timely considering the ever increasing interest of the food industry in adapting energy efficient new drying technologies. The fundamental theory of dielectric drying gives a general overview of the works on modeling of drying kinetic, energy control strategy and the influence of dielectric drying conditions on quality and structural changes of the final products. Finally, it proposes possible solutions to main challenges facing the industrial adaptation of the technologies and makes suggestions on further research directions to improve the dielectric drying.