Cold dryer as novel process for producing a minimally processed and dried meat

Abstract

Abstract In this study, it was aimed to design a novel dryer that operates at low temperature (≤20 °C) for the production of a minimally processed and dried meat, and to determine the drying characteristics of this product. Beef slices loaded into this dryer were dried at different low temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and air flow rates (1, 2, 3 and 4 m/s) after pasteurization. The drying time of slices was significantly influenced by the temperatures and air flow rates. The shortest drying time that pass until reaching the final water content (40%) was found in the slices subjected to a temperature of 10 °C and an air flow rate of 4 m/s. Nine kinetic models were selected to evaluate the moisture ratio data, with regard to adjusted regression coefficient (R2), the reduced chi-square (χ2) and root mean square error (RMSE). Page model exhibited the best fit (R2 ≥ 0.9961; χ2 ≤ 0.0002 and RMSE ≤ 0.0125). In addition, the effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) and activation energy (Ea) values of slices were 7.13 × 10−10 m2/s and 44.96 kJ/mol, respectively. Consequently, the low drying temperature could shorten the drying time of beef because the driving force for mass transfer is supplied by the moisture difference between food and the air in the dryer. Industrial relevance The novel dryer could carry out minimal processing to the meat, provide food safety and perform drying in cold conditions (≤20 °C). Beef slices dried faster with a drying temperature of 10 °C and an air flow rate of 4 m/s in this dryer. Various dried products also could be obtained by cold drying method without the loss of their quality properties.