ABSTRACT
The drying of fruits was practiced long before biblical times in China, India, and Persia. The ancient Chinese and Hindus dried fruits in the sun 5000 years ago. Dates, figs, apricots, and raisins, now important in world commerce, were dried by early inhabitants in the Middle and Near East. Dates and figs were es pecially essential food items in the Mediterranean region before history began to be written. Sun-drying is still used for fruits in many regions today. In fact, considerably more fruits are preserved by drying than by any other means. The quality of the final fruit products is improved by mechanical dehydration. Dried fruit products are available in many forms: whole, slices, pieces, bars, powders, flakes, or leathers. Techniques such as sun-drying, tunnel drying, cabinet drying, fluidized-bed drying, drum drying, spray drying, vacuum drying, foam-mat drying, osmotic dehydration, and freeze-drying have been established as commercial processes for some time. Dried fruits are more con centrated forms than products preserved in other ways. They are less costly to produce and require less storage space than canned or other preserved fruits. It can readily be seen that the cost of transportation will be much less for dried than for canned, frozen, or fresh fruits. For these reasons, dried fruits are usually considerably less costly to the consumer than the equivalent quantities of canned, frozen, or other preserved fruit products.
