16 - Minimising energy consumption associated with drying, baking and evaporation

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the minimization of energy consumption associated with drying, baking, and evaporation. It discusses specific drying characteristics from the point of view of energy aspects and methods of minimizing the energy consumption in food drying. All of the processes explored in the chapter—drying, baking, concentration, vaporization, and crystallization—are high energy consuming unit operations. For some of them, like drying and baking, there are many opportunities to minimize the energy input as they are still low energy-efficient. General methods can be applied such as energy auditing, measurement and automatic control, use of heat pumps, raw material pre-treatment, proper insulation, etc., but specific measures can be also be implemented. A better situation exists for evaporation processes (concentration, distillation, and crystallization) where the reuse of secondary vapors (multi-effect phenomena) gives more potential for substantial energy savings. In the light of continuous growth of energy prices and the tendency toward reduction of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emission, there will be continuous interest in energy savings in the food processing industry in the future. Development of new methods and strategies, especially application of non-thermal processes, will be an important priority for food processors as well as equipment manufacturers.