SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

PRINCIPLES OF UNIT OPERATIONS ASSIGNMENT 3
TADIWANASHE.S.ZINYUKE H230190R
LECTURER T.MUNYARI
a)Explain the process of drying in food processing
Drying is a unit operation process whereby water is removed from a food matrix in order to
effectively minimizing the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts and molds and
extend the shelf life of the food product whilst retaining its flavor and nutritional value (Putranto
& Chen,2019).Drying of food products aims to reduce the weight and the bulk of the product
which makes it more easier to transport and store the food product(Michailidis &Krokida,2014).
The drying process typically involves the removal of moisture using either traditional
evaporation methods such as air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying or the modern
techniques such as spray drying, freeze drying ,tunnel drying ,rotary drying which speed up the
drying process(Alp &Bulantekin,2021) .Drying can be carried out using evaporation where heat
and air circulate to remove moisture from food products, particularly in food products such as
fruit juices and dairy products .Dehydration may also be employed where the moisture of the
food product can be reduced by direct application of heat to the food product ,or by using
vacuum dehydration where the boiling point of the water is reduced to facilitate evaporation of
moisture at lower temperatures which enables preservation of heat sensitive
nutrients(Doymaz ,2011).The drying process is based on two main process - control factors
which are ;heat transfer and mass transfer.
Heat Transfer: The food product must first be supplied with heat to facilitate the latent heat of
vaporization which is essential for the conversion of the water in liquid form to vapor state .The
heat can be transferred through convection ,conduction or radiation depending on the drying
method used and the temperature differences of the heat source and the food .The greater the
temperature difference between the heat source and the food ,the more efficient the heat transfer
(Adeyeye et al ,2022)
Mass transfer: As the water vapor moves away from the food matrix it creates a moisture
gradient which is the difference between the interior moisture content and the surrounding
air .The moisture content is affected by the physical characteristics of the food such as porosity
as well as the surface area (Sarimeseli,2011)
The various drying methods have the following key steps :
Pretreatment :This step includes cleaning ,sorting and preparation of the food material to ensure
uniform drying and enhance quality
Heating : Heat is applied to the food material to increase the rate of moisture evaporation from
the food
Air circulation: Hot air is then circulated around the food material thereby facilitating effective
moisture removal
Moisture Removal :Water vapor is removed by evaporation or condensation effectively reducing
the moisture content of the food .The food product is then continuously monitored conducting
checks on temperature ,humidity and moisture levels to ensure optimal drying conditions and
prevent spoilage (Fellows,2017)
b) Compare and contrast tray drying and spray drying
Aspect Tray Drying Spray Drying
Method The food is held in trays or Liquid food is atomized into
racks ,and the hot air fine droplets and hot air
circulates in the trays rapidly evaporates the
(Fellows ,2017) moisture (Fellows,2017)
Product Form The resultant dried food The resultant food products
products are large solid are powdered or granulated
particles for example dried products such as milk powder
fruits or vegetables ,instant coffee
(Doymaz,2011) (Doymaz,2011)
Efficiency The drying process is slower Drying is faster and moisture
and may take several hours removal can occur in seconds
(Brennan&Grandison,2015) (Brennan&Grandison,2015)
Energy Consumption The drying process uses The drying process is more
higher amounts of energy per energy efficient due to the
unit of product due to the rapid evaporation of moisture
long processing time( Rey from the food product (Rey
&May,2016) &May,2016)
Qaulity The process retains more Process may result in loss of
flavor ,colour,and nutrients of some volatile compounds and
the food product due to nutrients due the high
slower drying temperatures used in the
(Sarimeseli ,2011) process (Sarimeseli,2011)
Scale The process is suitable for Process suitable for large
small-scale to medium scale scale industrial processes
production
2.Design a simple process flow diagram for the production of a named food product identifying
the main unit operations involved
Unit operations involved in the production of mulberry jam include :
Harvesting –In this initial operation ripe mulberries are collected from trees
Cleaning and Sorting – In this stage mechanical cleaning unit operations are employed such as
washing were contaminants and debris are removed by using water as the cleaning medium
Crushing- The cleaned mulberries are crushed using a food blender or food processor to release
their juices and create the basis for the jam
Adding Pectin –Pectin is added to help the jam set properly to a desired consistency
Testing for consistency –The cooked mixture is tested to ensure it has reached the desired
thickness and flavor
Cooling and Feeling in jars –The cooked and tested jam is allowed to cool at room
temperature .After cooling the jam is poured into sterilized jars and properly sealed and stored
(Sravani et al,2017)

Process flow diagram for the production of mulberry jam

Harvesting of ripe
mulberries

Cleaning and
Sorting

Crushing

Cooking with
Sugar

Adding of Pectin

Testing for
consistency and
Cooling

Filling in jars and

Sealing

Labelling and
Storage
References
1. Adeyeye,S.A.O.,Ashaolu,T.J&Babu,A.S (2022) ‘Food Drying; A
review’,Agricultural Reviews
2. Alp,D.&Bulantekin ,O.(2021)The microbiological quality of various
foods dried by applying different drying methods :a review’,European
Food Research and Technology
3. Brenan,J.G & Grandison,A.S.(2015)Food Processing :Principles and
practice .Woodhead Publishing
4. Doymaz,l.(2011) ‘Drying Kinetics of Green Bell Pepper’,Journal of
Food Engineering ,103(3),pp299-305
5. Fellows,P.(2017)Food Processing Technology :Principles and Practise
WoodHead Publishing
6. Gomez,A.&Rojas,M.(2017) ‘Tomato processing &
Preservation ,41(4),pp 1008-1019
7. Michailidis ,P.&Krokida,M.(2014) ‘Drying and Dehydration Process in
food Preservation &Processing’,Agricultural and Food Sciences
8. Putranto ,A.&Chen,X.D(2019) ‘Drying in Biotechnology’,in
Comprehensive Biotechnology 3rd edition,Vol 2 pp 820-833
9. Sarimeseli,A.(2011) ‘Microwave & Dielectric Heating Methods for
drying Agricultural products’,Journal of Food Engineering ,105(1),pp1-
8
10.Sravani,V.J.,Ravi,N.,Roopa,N.,Kumar,S.,Pandey,A.K&
Chauhan,O.P(2017) ‘Use of high pressure technology for the
development of novel jam and its quality evaluation during
storage’,Journal oF Food Science and Technology