To anybody, who is processing fruits & vegetables processed products on a commercial basis, one of the most consequential challenges they have faced is that they have to sell it before it gets ruin. The perishable food has luckless fact that as they reach to the maturity stage they start deteriorate. In order to tackle such issues we have to develop the process which increase the life span of processed fruits & vegetables products. As a result of this issue dehydration process come to existence in food sector.
SIGNIFICANCE & TRUE MEANING OF TERM “DEHYDRATION”
DEHYDRATION means process of removal of majority portion of water from fruits and vegetable using any heat techniques such as heating, sun drying etc. In food processing sectors, especially in fruits & vegetable processing units it plays a crucial role. As a result of this process we would be able to accelerate the life span of perishable products, reduce the bulk of products which saves the extra cost of packaging material & storage space.
KEY PROCESS STEP OF DEHYDRATION PROCESS
Dehydration process is generally consist of several key steps which are selection of fruits & vegetables of your preference, followed by washing & peeling process. After that, slicing is the reduction of the size of raw material, and cooking, drying and packing. Drying could be done by various stages. It also depend on the real characteristic of raw material.
DEHYDRATION PROCESSING PLANT SET-UP
Establishing a dehydrated processing plant with proper execution requires careful planning, effective Layout, essential machines requirement etc. In order to set-up an effective dehydrated processing unit you need to take counsel from food processing consultant. It provides a true guidance on selection of proper machineries based on output and efficiency. They also provide us the valuable feedback of market trend and current scenario of the dehydration sectors. This information is vitally important when you are launching the new food products commercially. They can also guide us on regulatory standards and technology integration.
SCOPE & CURRENT MARKET TREND
Nowadays in India, The scope of dehydrated fruits & vegetable market gains a popularity due to its raising demand in food processing Snack industry, ready-to-eat cook sectors. It offers opportunity to export sectors, health conscious customers & catering business. As per the recent research, India market size was valued at 25.9 Billion USD in 2023, and it is expected to grow by 27.08 Billion USD by end of the 2024 due to increasing the small scale food start-up & HoReCa business sectors.
CONCLUSION
In a Nutshell, Dehydrated fruits and vegetable products are used for their longer shelf life, rich nutritional properties. In India dehydrated food processing sectors are gaining popularity globally. We have also came to know that under a guidance of food consultant we can also establish an optimized line with proper knowledge. After coming dehydrated technologies, the commercial business of dehydrated food and vegetable products have flourished in food processing sectors exponentially. Now we can increase life span of perishable fruits & vegetable!
