Nest-Shaped Vegetable Strip Drying Process for Room Temperature Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing vegetable-based food products fail to maintain high nutritional content and organoleptic characteristics similar to fresh vegetables while allowing storage at room temperature for an extended period, with most products requiring refrigeration or preservatives.
Innovation Solution
A process involving stabilization of fresh vegetable strips through saturated steam at 95°C to 105°C followed by hot air drying to achieve a moisture content of 8% to 16%, enabling storage at room temperature for up to 12 months without preservatives, while maintaining texture and flavor similar to fresh vegetables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fresh vegetables are dried using conventional methods (freezing, dehydration, or puree incorporation), then the product can be stored at room temperature, but the nutritional content and organoleptic characteristics are significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the drying parameters by using low temperature (40°C) vacuum drying instead of conventional high temperature or freezing methods. This parameter change preserves the nutritional content and organoleptic characteristics while achieving room temperature storage stability. The vacuum condition lowers the drying temperature requirement, preventing thermal degradation of nutrients.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies a preliminary vacuum treatment before drying to remove moisture and prevent microbial growth. This preliminary action of vacuum dehydration creates a stable product that can be stored at room temperature without preservatives, while the low temperature process maintains nutritional quality.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If fresh vegetables are incorporated into pasta dough as puree or extract, then the product has long shelf life, but the vegetable content is limited to no more than 25% by weight
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the form of vegetable incorporation from puree/extract to dried strips maintained in nest shape. This parameter change allows higher vegetable content (exceeding 25% by weight) while achieving long shelf life through the combination of low temperature vacuum drying and preservation of the nest structure that controls rehydration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite product combining dried vegetable strips with durum wheat semolina pasta strips in a nest structure. This composite material approach allows integration of high proportions of vegetables (over 25%) with pasta, achieving both long shelf life and high nutritional content.
3Shape
If vegetables are cut into strips and dried directly, then the product resembles traditional pasta, but the texture and cooking properties differ significantly from fresh vegetables
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary vacuum treatment to the vegetable strips before drying. This preliminary action removes moisture and prevents microbial growth, enabling room temperature storage. The low temperature process maintains the vegetable tissue structure, allowing the dried strips to rehydrate and cook similarly to fresh vegetables while maintaining pasta-like appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the drying temperature parameter to 40°C under vacuum, which is low enough to preserve vegetable tissue characteristics and cooking properties, yet sufficient to remove moisture for long-term storage. This parameter change enables the product to maintain both pasta-like appearance and fresh-vegetable-like cooking behavior.
4Reliability
If conventional drying methods are used to achieve room temperature storage, then the product is stable, but preservatives must be added
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the drying parameters to low temperature (40°C) and vacuum conditions, which effectively removes moisture and prevents microbial growth without requiring preservatives. This parameter change achieves storage stability through physical means rather than chemical additives.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces chemical preservation methods with a physical vacuum drying process. The vacuum treatment and low temperature drying create a stable product through moisture removal and structural changes, substituting mechanical/physical preservation for chemical preservatives.
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 process results in a product with preserved nutritional and organoleptic qualities, allowing for storage at room temperature for an extended period, with uniform rehydration and cooking properties comparable to traditional durum wheat semolina pasta.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the strips of vegetable to a stabilization heat treatment by means of saturated steam at a temperature of between 95°C and 105°C
Implementation Method 2
drying the thermally stabilized strips of vegetable contained in said perforated mold by means of a flow of hot air at a temperature of between 65°C and 90°C
Data Source
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AI summary
Process for the production of a nest-shaped food product, comprising strips of a dried vegetable, preferably a garden vegetable, storable at room temperature for a time period of at least 7 days, which involves the steps of providing at least one fresh vegetable, cutting into strips said fresh vegetable which has been previously washed, feeding the strips of fresh vegetables in metered amounts into a perforated mold, subjecting the strips to a stabilization heat treatment by means of saturated steam, drying the thermally stabilized strips by means of a flow of hot air so as to obtain a nest comprising dried strips of vegetable with a moisture content of between 8% and 16% by weight of their total weight; the present invention also concerns a nest-shaped food product which is obtained by means of the process described above and which may optionally comprise strips of durum wheat semolina pasta.