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dried food

Dried food has been a source of healthy and nourishing meal since ancient times. In the recent times, many food dehydration and freezing techniques are used to preserve the food for long times. Food material decays due to the presence of many bacteria and yeast. By applying the drying techniques, these bacteria and yeast are removed from the food material causing it to halt or substantially reduce any biological changes appearing in its chemical structure.

Vegetables, fruits and meat can all be dried and preserved for longer periods. Different drying techniques are used for different types of food. Dried food is a very good source of energy since the material is condense and concentrated within each pound of weight.

Dried Food Types

Many fresh food items can be dried including vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. Certain measures are however important in the drying process. A fast channel of putting the food into drying process is needed since certain food materials especially vegetables and fruits start decomposing as soon as they are yielded. A standard atmospheric temperature is also very important throughout the drying process. All care should be taken to remove every drop of moisture present in the food. Moisture causes regeneration of bacteria and eventually deteriorates the food composition. Following are some illustrations about drying different kinds of food.

Dried Fruits

The easiest of them all are fruits which can be dried with relatively lesser efforts. Dried food is made from fruits like apricots, peaches, apples, berries etc. The moisture in these items dries very fast making it easier to apply the food drying process on them.

Dried Vegetables

Beans, onions, peppers, corn and peas etc. are quite feasible items to make dried food from. Certain vegetables take much longer time to make a successful preservation due to the presence of very hard to kill micro-organisms in them. Many dehydrators are used to make dried fruits and vegetables and then preserving them in a place where air cannot pass through.

Dried Meat and Fish

Drying meat and specially fish is very popular in different countries. Salt is an excellent preservative to make dried food out of meat or fish. It improves the texture of meat. Once meat is soaked in saltwater, it is then placed under the sun or dried in a food dryer. Processes such as pasteurization and sterilization are used to kill the micro-organisms present in meat or fish.

Though heating is necessary in the food drying process. Managing the heating time is important. Heating should be done according to the universal standards; otherwise the food might not be bacteria free if less heating is given. Heating above the standard time may also result in change in taste of food. Dried food is always stored in cool place and temperature is kept below 20 Degree Celsius.
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