The practice of tomato powder Three drying methods of tomato powder

Tomato powder is a relatively common tomato processed food. It tastes very good and is convenient to store and eat. Its processing is generally on the production line, and there is a link of food drying in the processing procedure. What are the drying methods of tomato powder? Let's take a look together below.
  The drying procedure of tomato powder is very necessary, otherwise the freshness preservation ability will be greatly reduced. How to dry it? A common method is freeze-drying, in which the tomato concentrate is frozen at low temperatures and then dried by sublimation of water under high vacuum. The resulting tomato still retains its original structure without affecting its original shape and size. Therefore, the freeze-dried particles have a porous structure that retains the space originally occupied by moisture without collapsing, thus facilitating rapid rehydration of the product. However, this method consumes a lot of energy, and the freeze-drying equipment is expensive, resulting in high product cost. This drying method is more common and easier to handle.
   There is another kind of expansion drying method, which uses expansion drying equipment to dry tomato concentrate. Dehydration usually requires a specified pressure of 2.6 mmHg, and the temperature of the tomato concentrate is usually 60-70 degrees Celsius. To achieve a moisture content of 3% in the product, the drying time is typically 90 minutes to 5 hours. Before removing the vacuum, the product should be cooled down to avoid the collapse of the bulky structure of the product, because the resulting tomato powder is thermoplastic; the structure of the tomato powder prepared by this method is firmer, the volume is similar to that of the concentrate, and the rehydration performance of the product is poor. In addition, puffing must be carried out under vacuum conditions, and the cost is relatively high, resulting in relatively expensive products.
  The application cost of the expansion drying method is relatively high, so be careful when considering the application. There is another common method. The key to this drying method is to stabilize the tomato concentrate and form a stable foam by adding foaming substances such as soybean protein, globulin, fatty acid lipids, glycolipids and glyceryl monostearate. The temperature of the gas passing through the dryer is about 93 degrees Celsius, the speed is about 100-130m/s, and it is added in a countercurrent manner. The drying time depends on the characteristics of the product and the drying conditions used, and the general drying time is 15-18 minutes.
  The above introduces three drying methods for tomato powder. Each method has its own characteristics. In actual use, it still needs to be determined according to the needs. Try not to use one drying method casually, otherwise it will have an impact on tomato powder products. This point needs to be paid attention to. It is believed that in the future, more drying methods will appear, which is what the industry is pursuing. Our company specializes in the design and manufacture of fruit and vegetable processing and packaging line equipment, and is always committed to providing one-stop solutions for fruit and vegetable processing projects. If you need more detailed information, you can contact Shanghai Gofun Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. for consultation and cooperation.