Explain the process of the food preservation method used to preserve the food product. Provide
pictures, diagrams, flow chart or illustrations to explain how the food preservation method occurs.
The process of dehydration is simple and there is many ways in which you can achieve dried foods. They can be dried in the sun, this requires warm days of 30 degrees Celsius or higher, low humidity, and insect control: recommended for dehydration for fruits only. They can also be dried in the oven, but in a heat that is hot enough to dry them, but cool enough for the food not to cook and lastly the food can be dehydrated by using an electric dehydrator. Electric dehydrators take less time to dry foods and are more cost efficient than an oven.
The process of dehydration various according to what technique you chose to use. To dehydrate food outside using the sun, you will need: a day that is 30 degrees of heat or higher, a pizza tray, some sort bucket, preferably one that is stainless steal or is metal and is big enough to fit the pizza tray. Lastly, you will need the piece of food that you have chosen to dehydrate.
The Sun Oven should look something similar to this image below.
- Slice the food that you are using into any size that you prefer
- Place the pizza tray inside the metal bucket and spread the food of your choice around the pizza tray and do not close with the buckets lid
- Ensure that the temperature is hot enough to dehydrate the food, but cool enough so that the food is not cooked (this is done by keeping the Sun Oven focused away from the sun and re-positioning it every half hour)
- Make sure that you have many check ups on the Sun Oven so that you can see if the food is dehydrating or cooking
- If some pieces of food have dehydrated than take them out and store them into an air tight container
- Place any completely dehydrated foods into an air tight container
- If there are still pieces of the food left that are not fully dehydrated then close the lid and leave it over night to complete the process the next day
- Repeat the steps taken the day before, keep in mind that this procedure shouldn't take over a day to complete
The Sun Oven should look something similar to this image below.
The next process that can be preformed to complete dehydration is in the oven.
- Cut away blemishes and bruises on the food to be dried. Remove seeds pits and any hard fibrous parts such as cores
- Blanch fruits and vegetables before dehydrating to stop enzymatic action and kill organisms that can cause spoilage. Times vary for different vegetables, so see chart in Resources for instructions
- To prevent fruits from discoloration, dip them in a mixture of water and ascorbic acid. A mixture of lemon juice and water can also be used
- Slice fruit and vegetables into thin slices. Some fruits, like apricots, can be halved and pitted. Arrange slices in a single layer on cookie sheets or racks
- Preheat oven to lowest temperature (about 140 degrees.) Your oven may not go that low but temperatures up to 170 degrees can be used. Prop the oven door open about two to three inches by putting a folded kitchen towel in the door. This will allow moisture to escape, air to circulate and prevent the oven from getting too hot if you can't set it to 140 degrees
- Dry fruit and vegetables for time shown in charts. Be sure to turn the food occasionally to allow for even drying
- After cooling, store dried fruits and vegetables in tightly closed pre-sterilized jars. Shake the jars with fruit in them daily for the first week or two and watch for moisture. If there is any sign of moisture in the jar, the fruit needs to be dried in the oven some more. If you don't dry it properly, it will eventually mold
- Store dried food in a dry, dark, cool place. The cooler the storage area, the longer the food will last
- When food has cooled pack the food into air tight containers
Using a dehydrator is the simplest way to dehydrate food. The process is shown in the flow chart below.