Electrohydrodynamic Drying of Plant-Based Foods and Food Model Systems

Abstract

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying is a novel technology, which appears to be beneficial for drying of heat-sensitive biomaterials with high moisture contents. Although numerous publications on EHD drying of fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods report high energy efficiency and superior product quality, the technology is still not commercialized. One of the reasons is incomplete information in published studies on the design of EHD dryers, including electrode geometry, dried materials, and experimental conditions, which hinder the comparison of experimental findings. Another reason is the gap in the knowledge about the actual mechanisms behind the EHD drying, including convective moisture removal by airflow and diffusive moisture transport inside the food. In this review, key findings in published reports on plant-based foods and food model systems have been critically analyzed and generalized using the same uniform metrics. The limiting factors, most favorable conditions, and future perspectives of EHD drying for plant-based foods are discussed.