Dried Foods
How to reduce drying time in potato dehydration
How the OPTICEPT SD7 PEF system streamline potato dehydration – Reduce drying time and Cut energy costs.
2025-12-01
Dehydrating carrots on an industrial scale presents several challenges that affect efficiency, product quality, and profitability. Firstly, carrots have a high moisture content (~85-90%), which requires significant energy to remove moisture during dehydration.
Furthermore, heat-sensitive nutrients such as beta-carotene and vitamin C can degrade during the drying process. Texture and flavor may also be negatively affected. These challenges are listed below, point by point.
The company partnered with our team to implement a cutting-edge industrial PEF system in their production line.
Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) addresses several of these challenges by pre-treating the carrots to make cells more permeable, enabling faster drying, better nutrient retention, improved texture, and reduced energy and water use.
Resulting in:
As dehydration can have a high cost and time-consuming factor, even the slightest improvement has a significant impact.
Typically, drying times can be reduced by 10-35%, depending on the type of fruit or vegetable and the processing conditions. Below shows the average results achieved in industrial settings.
The OPTICEPT® SD7 PEF system leverages advanced PEF technology to enhance the dehydration of vegetables and fruits, delivering considerable improvements in energy efficiency, processing throughput, and product quality.
This cutting-edge system is designed to meet the high demands of large-scale food production, enabling significant operational improvements while aligning with sustainability targets.
Developed in collaboration between OptiCept Technologies and FPS Food Process Solutions, the SD7 system reflects the synergies of expert knowledge in PEF technology and decades of engineering experience in hygienic food processing equipment.
The SD7 unit is capable of operating within high-capacity production lines. During the peak harvesting season, the line runs continuously around the clock, highlighting the system’s reliability and its crucial role in the production workflow.
The implementation of PEF technology has resulted in faster, more consistent drying, increased yield, and significant energy savings.
Moreover, the traditional blanching (80ºC) was conveniently eliminated, thereby saving energy and water use, further highlighting the environmentally friendly nature of the OPTICEPT® SD7.
Uptime and consistent performance are essential in large-scale operations. The OPTICEPT® SD7’s redundant system design has ensured high operational reliability, with minimal downtime outside of scheduled maintenance.
Moreover, the company has noted process simplification benefits, including the ability to reduce or eliminate blanching steps, preserving more of the product’s natural quality and nutritional value.
This strategic investment demonstrates how traditional food manufacturing operations can embrace innovation to improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and maintain superior product standards.
Contact OptiCept today, and let’s discuss how we could help you in your dehydration process.
How the OPTICEPT SD7 PEF system streamline potato dehydration – Reduce drying time and Cut energy costs.
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