OptiCeps PEF system for dried fruits and vegetables has shown to make a significant impact on the efficiency of the dehydration process of pineapple.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how PEF technology is applied in the drying process of pineapples, its advantages, and why it’s set to become a key player in the food industry.
Drying pineapple on an industrial scale presents several challenges related to maintaining quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Drying is an energy-intensive process, especially for a water-rich fruit like pineapple. Scaling up drying while keeping energy costs low can be a major challenge.
Furthermore, it is essential to achieve the correct final moisture content to ensure long shelf life without compromising quality. If the fruit is under-dried, it can lead to mold growth or spoilage during storage. If over-dried, it can become too hard or brittle, reducing consumer appeal.
Lastly, drying pineapple takes time, and balancing production speed with quality and cost is a challenge on an industrial scale.
With this in mind, how can OptiCepts Tecnologia PEF erase these issues?
Campo elettrico pulsato (PEF) is not a drying technology, but rather a pre-step applied in the process. It is a non-thermal food processing technology that uses short bursts of high-voltage electric pulses to permeabilize cell membranes.
By applying electrical pulses to fruit, PEF disrupts the cellular structure without significantly raising the product’s temperature. This not only enhances moisture removal during the drying process but also preserves the fruit’s inherent qualities, such as flavor, color, and nutritional value.
Traditionally, drying pineapples relies on thermal methods like hot air drying, freeze drying, or vacuum drying.
While effective, these processes often result in loss of nutrients, reduced flavor, and altered texture due to the high heat or extended drying times.
Tecnologia PEF can mitigate these drawbacks, making it a more efficient and quality-preserving alternative.
Here’s how PEF aids in the pineapple drying process:
When PEF is applied to pineapple slices or chunks, it breaks down cell walls, creating micro-pores. This allows moisture to escape more easily during the drying phase, reducing the time and energy needed for complete dehydration.
The improved permeability enables faster water removal during subsequent drying methods. This leads to significantly reduced drying times.
Since PEF shortens drying times, the entire process will require less energy. This not only reduces operational costs but also minimizes the environmental impact of the process.
The non-thermal nature of PEF ensures that heat-sensitive components like vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants remain intact. The texture of the dried pineapple is also less likely to be compromised, resulting in a product that’s closer to the fresh fruit in taste and appearance.
By enhancing water loss during drying, PEF reduces the overall time needed for pineapple dehydration. Faster drying times not only increase throughput in manufacturing facilities but also preserve organoleptic properties — the aspects of food that create its sensory experience, such as taste and smell.
PEF technology’s lower energy demands translate into cost savings for manufacturers. Additionally, shorter processing times result in less environmental impact, making it a more sustainable choice for large-scale food production.
Through its advanced electroporation process, The OPTICEPT® SD7 – a PEF system designed specifically to enhance the dehydration process– ensures that the drying of fruit and vegetables, such as pineapple, is optimized. Increasing profitability, significantly lowering energy consumption, and maintaining superior quality.
Below is a graph showing the results of PEF-assisted drying compared to an untreated control done by OptiCept. It concludes that PEF reduced the drying time by 25%.
The effects are not exclusive to pineapple, but can be achieved in a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Another example is in mango.
The adoption of Tecnologia PEF is still in its early stages, but it’s gaining momentum as more research and commercial applications highlight its benefits.
In the coming years, PEF could become a staple in the fruit-drying sector, particularly for tropical fruits like pineapples, where quality preservation is crucial. OptiCept has proven to have an impact with its technology on an industrial scale when it comes to drying carrots.
Furthermore, PEF has shown several advantages throughout the entire value chain of pineapple processing. Increasing juice extraction, softening pineapple slices for canning, e increasing the liquid extraction from pineapple stems and cores.
Pulsed Electric Field technology is a promising advancement in the pineapple drying process, offering numerous benefits. By reducing drying times, preserving the nutritional content, and improving the overall quality of dried pineapples, PEF is reshaping how the industry approaches food preservation. As more manufacturers adopt this cutting-edge technology, consumers can look forward to healthier, tastier, and more sustainably produced dried pineapple products in the near future.
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