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Application of non‐thermal pretreatment techniques on agricultural products prior to drying: a review
Author(s) -
Osae Richard,
Essilfie Gloria,
Alolga Raphael N,
Akaba Selorm,
Song Xiaoqian,
OwusuAnsah Patrick,
Zhou Cunshan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.10284
Subject(s) - agriculture , environmental science , postharvest , osmotic dehydration , shelf life , food quality , pulp and paper industry , water content , agricultural engineering , biochemical engineering , process engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , chemistry , engineering , horticulture , biology , ecology , geotechnical engineering , sucrose
BACKGROUND Most agricultural crops contain high moisture content (80–95% wet basis (wb)) which makes them very susceptible to microbial damage leading to shorter shelf‐life and high postharvest losses. The high perishability of these agricultural products requires preservation techniques to prolong their shelf‐lives. Drying remains an important component of processing in this regard. Therefore, any pretreatment methods for drying agricultural product that decreases the moisture content and minimizes drying time by conserving the quality of the crop product is of prime significance. This article is a comprehensive review of recent developments of non‐thermal pretreatment (NTP) methods. A summary of their significance, emerging and innovative methods of this technology together with its applications and limitations are discussed. This article further examines the environmental impact of NTP techniques. RESULTS NTP techniques, such as high pressure, ultrasound, pulsed electric field and osmotic dehydration methods are essential operations for pre‐dehydration of agricultural products prior to drying. These techniques can avoid the deleterious effects of heat on nutritive value, colour and flavour of agricultural products compared to thermal pretreatments. They also enhance the inactivation of the enzymes, improve energy efficiency and mass transfer, reduce processing time, preserve bioactive compounds, improve drying kinetics and drying rate, minimize enzymatic browning, and enhance product quality. CONCLUSION These findings will provide a better understanding of different NTP methods and also make available more information for selecting pretreatment techniques for drying of agricultural products. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry