Dried Fruit
Author
FAO-AGSLanguage
EnglishDocument Type
Instructional ManualPublisher
FAOPages
14Commodities
fruitsTopics
Primary processing of food commodities (e.g. cleaning, drying, milling, etc.)Year
2007Document Url
http://www.fao.org/3/a-au111e.pdfDrying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. It is still used widely to preserve foods for home consumption and for sale. Dried fruits are one of the most popular products made by small-scale processors.
Drying removes the water from foods so that the growth of micro-organisms is inhibited. It also reduces the weight and bulk of foods which cuts down on transport and storage costs.
Sun drying is the simplest and cheapest method of drying. It is used for high volume foods such as grain, rice, sultanas and raisins. The disadvantage of sun drying is that the processor has very little control over the drying conditions and the quality of the dried fruit.