Recent Food Drying R&D at Jiangnan University: An Overview

Abstract

Drying of fresh produce and marine products to develop high-quality dried products cost-effectively has been the theme of extensive research carried out at the School of Food Science & Technology of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China. Both conventional and innovative hybrid drying techniques encompassing the enhancement of drying rates and quality through utilization of modern ultrasonic and nanotechnology have been examined in detail and reported in the open literature. Some of the work was funded by the industry and eventually utilized in industrial-scale processing. The objective of this article is to summarize the key developments for a wider global readership. An outline of ongoing drying R&D will be provided in the closing section.

Keywords:

• Academia–industry interaction
• Fruits
• Hybrid drying
• Marine products
• Vegetables

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful for the invitation of Professor Arun S. Mujumdar, Honorary Professor of Jiangnan University, to prepare this article for Drying Technology. We wish to record our gratitude to Dr. Meng Wai Woo of Monash University, Australia, for his assistance in the preparation of this article. We also are grateful for the assistance from Rui Xin Lim (Newcastle University, Singapore Campus), who reviewed the grammar of this article.