Vacuum Drying Fruit and Vegetable Crunchy Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dried fruits and vegetables typically have a crumbly texture and lose their shape due to excessive moisture removal, making them unappealing, while freeze-drying is inefficient and costly, and commercially available products lack the desired crunchy texture.
Innovation Solution
Creating a pressure differential within fruits and vegetables using sub-atmospheric pressure to expand and dry them, resulting in a puffy, crunchy texture with a glassy structure, achieved through vacuum treatment, heat exposure, and controlled moisture content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fruits and vegetables are dried by removing large amounts of moisture, then the drying process is effective, but the product shrivels and shrinks losing its original shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the drying process to maintain specific moisture content ranges (1-15%) and using vacuum conditions (0.1-600 mmHg) to prevent shriveling while achieving effective moisture removal. This resolves the contradiction by optimizing the drying parameters to preserve shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-treating fruits and vegetables with vacuum exposure before complete drying to establish a pressure differential that prevents shriveling. This preliminary vacuum treatment creates structural support that maintains original shape during subsequent moisture removal.
2Shape
If fruits and vegetables are freeze-dried to retain shape, then the original shape is preserved, but the process is extremely slow and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying parameters by using vacuum drying with controlled moisture content (1-15%) and pressure (0.1-600 mmHg) instead of traditional freeze-drying conditions. This allows faster drying while maintaining shape retention, resolving the efficiency contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by controlling the moisture removal process under vacuum to achieve a glassy, crunchy texture without requiring the extreme conditions of freeze-drying. The controlled dehydration creates the desired texture and shape retention more efficiently.
3Strength
If fruits and vegetables are traditionally dried to achieve crunchiness, then a crunchy texture can be achieved, but the product becomes crumbly rather than puffy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the vacuum drying conditions (0.1-600 mmHg) and moisture content (1-15%) to create a puffy structure with crunchy texture. This resolves the contradiction by optimizing parameters to achieve both desired texture and structure simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary vacuum exposure before complete drying to create the puffy structure. This preliminary action establishes the expanded form that maintains crunchiness while preventing crumbliness during the subsequent drying process.
4Strength
If fruits and vegetables are fried to achieve crunchiness, then a crunchy texture is achieved, but the fat content becomes high making the product unhealthy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal frying process with a mechanical vacuum drying process. This substitution achieves the desired crunchy texture through controlled moisture removal and pressure differential without introducing harmful fats, resolving the health contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses phase transitions during vacuum drying to create the crunchy texture without frying. The controlled dehydration and pressure changes create the desired texture through physical transformation rather than chemical reactions associated with frying.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces fruit and vegetable products that retain their original shape and volume, with a crunchy texture and controlled moisture content, offering a more appealing and efficient drying process compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
treating fruits and vegetables to create a pressure differential between the inside and outside of the fruits and vegetables, for example, using sub-atmospheric pressure
Implementation Method 2
exposing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature of about 26° C. to about 110° C.
Implementation Method 3
dehydrating the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum that creates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg to a moisture content of about 1% to about 15%
Implementation Method 4
Freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, which utilizes conduction and/or radiation heating
Implementation Method 5
cooling the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum that creates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg to a temperature of about 0° C. to about 40° C.
Implementation Method 6
Freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, which utilizes conduction and/or radiation heating
Implementation Method 7
Freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, which utilizes conduction and/or radiation heating
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method consists essentially of (a) infusing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to between 10 and 55° Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperature between 80° C. and 120° C. to produce a pre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable to freezing temperatures and to vacuum to a temperature between −1° C. and −40° C. and a pressure between 7.5 mmHg and 0.53 mmHg, thereby partially subliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit or vegetable under vacuum between 0.1 mmHg and 600 mmHg at a temperature between 40° C. and 110° C.; (e) cooling the fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a temperature between 0° C. and 40° C., to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.