The process from fresh fruit to dried fruit

Drying equipment

Most of the various dried fruits we see on the market are processed by drying machine. In order to achieve good fruit drying effects, in addition to the selection of equipment, the drying process is also crucial. Let’s share the drying process of fruit dryer.

Spread the fruit slices evenly on the drying tray, do not spread them too thickly, and then push them into the drying room to dry. Set the temperature and time on the PLC control system. The temperature should not be too high at the beginning to avoid the surface losing moisture too quickly.

Drying in 4 steps

The drying step is an important process for dried fruit, which determines the quality of the finished product. Generally speaking, the fruit drying process is divided into four important stages: preheating, drying, ripening, and shrinkage.

Preheating: Set temperature around 35℃, drying time for half an hour.

Drying: Increase the temperature from 40℃ to 55℃. The duration is different each time and needs to be determined according to the requirements of the fruit variety. A small amount of moisture can be discharged in the early stage, and the amount of moisture discharged can be increased in the later stage. The whole stage is about for 6-12h.

Ripening: Fruits have high sugar content. This stage is also called saccharification. Because the sugar content is high, moisture is not easy to disperse, so the temperature needs to be increased. Set it to approximately 55-65°C for 2-4 hours. Pay attention to timely drainage of moisture.

Shrinkage: At this time, the moisture content inside the fruit is low, and the shape tends to a stable shrinkage state. However, the moisture inside the entire fruit is uneven. It can be heated at 55°C and dried for 2 hours until the internal moisture content drops to the expected requirement (about 15%)to complete the entire drying process.

Western Flag can design a drying plan and customize a suitable drying machine based on your actual situation.