Recent Developments in Smart Drying Technology

Abstract

With advances in computer, control and sensing technologies it is now possible to design smart dryers at least for certain products. In this paper, a generalized definition of smart (or intelligent) drying technology is proposed and discussed. Recent development in smart drying technology for fresh foods is reviewed briefly. Such technology can be cost effective in detecting and monitoring various food quality parameters which vary with time of the drying process, thus controlling the conditions of drying and producing high quality products. Some important categories of smart drying technology are listed and discussed; these include: biomimetic systems, computer vision technology, microwave dielectric spectroscopy, near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonic techniques, electrostatic sensor technology and control systems for drying environment. Several latest applications of these smart drying technologies are analyzed. Key factors leading to success of smart drying technologies Downloaded by [Monash University Library] at 13:37 04 December 2014 2 are discussed. Developments, challenges, and applications, which represent a major step toward development of drying technology, are presented.

Monitoring and Optimization of the Process of Drying Fruits and Vegetables Using Computer Vision: A Review

“…The idea of smart drying technology is to obtain real-time information related to the process and the product as a means to simultaneously modulate the drying process. The result is a standardized high-quality dried product [25].…”

“…Smart drying technology may be obtained in many ways (e.g., biomimetic systems, computer vision, spectroscopy, magnetic resonance imaging and a control system for the drying environment) [25]. The idea of smart drying technology is to obtain real-time information related to the process and the product as a means to simultaneously modulate the drying process.…”

Analysis of drying properties and vacuum-impregnated qualities of edamame (Glycine max (L.) Merrill)

“…[26] The electric nose (Ruifen Trading Co., Shanghai, China) was used in this experiment, there are four basis systems: (1) sampling system and gas collecting system; (2) sensor array; (3) sensor detection curve; and (4) intelligent recognition system. There are 14 sensors in the sensor array system.…”

Artificial intelligence: Is it a good fit for drying?

“…The promising trend in AI applications for drying is related to the development of "soft" or "smart" sensors of product quality. [11,13,14] With the industrial focus on the product quality, the interest in the development of online sensors of product quality is increasing. One of the avenues is computer vision technology, suitable for online estimation of multiple product quality indicators, such as volume, moisture, texture, color, density and porosity during drying.…”

“…[13] Electronic nose and tongue, combined with ANN or FL estimators allow to control mechanical and biochemical transformations in food during drying. [14] Apparently, in the close future, the combination of factorial, ANN, inferential and kinetic models will constitute the "intelligent" estimators of quality in drying.…”