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Introduction to food drying-Part 1
The East Toronto Green Community Food & Environment Program presents:
An Introduction to Drying Foods
Food preservation extends the life of foods by preventing spoilage. There
are various methods of food preservation including canning, pickling,
freezing and drying. To dry foods, one simply takes out enough water
(over 65%) from the food so that spoilage organisms are not able to grow
and multiply during storage. Although other methods of food preservation
are currently popular, (dry foods have always been popular with canoeists
and campers) drying is a simple and effective method which has been used
by humans for thousands of years. It is, in fact, one of the first ways
in which food was preserved. Following is a contemporary introduction to
an ancient art!
NOTE: This is simply an overview of food drying - please consult the list
of books provided at the end of this message or check for books at your
public library before attempting to dry foods.
What are the environmental, health, social and economic advantages to
preserve foods by drying?
You can:
· preserve food in a way which requires little energy or resources
(especially solar drying)
· reduce air pollution caused by transport of foods from climates with
longer growing seasons
support local economies through buying in bulk locally grown foods in
season
· enjoy a bioregional yet varied diet
· eliminate need to buy expensive foods from faraway places during the
winter
· benefit from foods of high nutrition with little or no shelf life,
chemical preservatives or genetic breeding for longevity
· know what has gone into your food - because you made it!
· preserve foods in a way which is easy, inexpensive and fun!
General Procedures: Food Handling, Food Safety
· choose foods of prime quality and freshness for best results - buying
locally is a good idea
· maintain a clean working area and ensure surfaces in contact with the
food are clean to avoid growth of harmful micro-organisms
· prevent decomposition, preserve colours and safeguard nutrients (there
is controversy over the nutritional retention of dried foods - some
nutritionists argue that drying is hard on some vitamins while others
claim that drying foods is the closest to fresh nutritionally - see
“Resources”) by using pre-treatments such as the following: -
blanching or boiling
- coating with anti-oxidant or sulphuring
(there is concern and controversy over the safety
of using sulphur to treat food)
· shield food from insects and avoid contamination by using surfaces and
containers meant for food
· correct unevenness in moisture content through conditioning and
sterilize through pasteurization
· store safe from infestations or dampness or warm temperatures