The idea for publication of a new special issue of Drying Technology, once again devoted to ongoing research at Jiangnan University is the result of an informal discussion between Professor Arun Mujumdar and Professor Min Zhang. As the principal investigator of the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFD0400900) on drying, with active participation and support from several major Chinese companies, Professor Zhang and his group focus on key technologies and novel equipment for energy-saving, safe, smart and precise drying of fruits and vegetables. This National Key Project includes participation of active research teams from 25 Chinese units, including universities, research institutions and companies, bringing together highly capable personnel and diverse core talent in scientific and technical research on fruit and vegetable drying and equipment R&D in China. The truly interdisciplinary cooperation between academia, industry and government laboratories gives this research team unique capabilities not found anywhere else in the world.
Prof. Zhang’s group has long-term cooperation with food industry in China for over two decades. This makes the research carried out by the group relevant and beneficial to all involved parties. The collaboration in drying R&D between Jiangnan University and Haitong Food Group Co., Ltd., for example, has been continuing for over 20 years since 2001 via formation of a successful joint institute. This special issue indeed reflects the evolution of some impactful food drying technologies and recent progresses in the area of food drying at Jiangnan University.
This special issue consists of 13 research articles, which cover recent research outcomes and major findings obtained by the drying research group at Jiangnan University. The issue is designed to present a collection of up-to-date outcomes of high efficiency drying of fruits and vegetables. The collection covers efficient and innovative hybrid drying technologies, such as pulse-spouted infrared freeze drying, pulse-spouted microwave freeze-drying as well as cost-saving pretreatments that can be done prior to drying, including ultrasonic pretreatment. The issue also covers some potential applications of artificial intelligence as well as measurement and control in drying as aided by LF-NMR. The articles cover works on a wide assortment of food materials, including edible roses & rose powder, rose-yam chips, rose-yogurt melts, carrots, horseradish, asparagus by-products, garlic, chicken, chicken bone powders, blueberries, cranberries and raspberries.
We believe that all the articles published in this special issue will provide valuable information to scientists, engineers, researchers and manufactures throughout the world working in academia as well as industry in food drying, food quality control and allied areas.
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
[email protected]
Hui-zhi Chen
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology,
Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
[email protected]
Arun S. Mujumdar
Department of Bioresource Engineering
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
[email protected]
Sakamon Devahastin
Department of Food Engineering
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand
[email protected]