Studies on drying of medicinal vegetables for nutrition retention

Abstract

India accounts for the largest production of agricultural products and 40% wastage due to poor post-harvest processing and improper storage methods. Due to the increase in population and the need to avoid food scarcity food processing needs to be carried out. Food processing is one of the highest energy consuming processes where a huge initial cost is incurred for preservation of the product to prolong its shelf life. The parameters that influence the food spoilage are moisture content, pH value, physical structure of the product, temperature and relative humidity. Various food processing methods used are thermal processing, cold processing, radiation, drying, chemical processing and curing. Still due to abundant availability of solar energy, drying is the preferred method when compared to other methods. newlineMany fruits and vegetables are well known for their rich content of vitamins. However some vegetables provide additional health benefits like lowering of blood pressure, aiding in the prevention of cancer, regulating blood sugar, reducing blood cholesterol. Some fruits and vegetables are available seasonally. In order to utilize the medicinal and nutritional benefits of those food products throughout the year and to increase the shelf life, processing becomes essential. newline