Publications – Catalytic Drying Technologies

Publications

Publications & Journal Articles

Catalytic Drying Technologies LLC comes from a history of innovation in the development of catalytic infrared heating technology, dating back to 1953.

Fruits
Grains
Nuts
Vegetables

Category	Product	Process	Results
Fruit	Apple Slices	Dry Blanching and dehydration with intermittent heating	Intermittent heating is best for thicker slices or drying after blanching to avoid surface darkening. Also good for prolonged heating sessions
Fruit	Bananas	Drying bananas with IR heating	Dries more efficiently without changing color, flavor, and texture. Using IR to remove most of moisture and inactivate enzymes, followed by Hot Air produced best results
Fruit	Apple & Strawberry	Infrared partial dehydration	Partially dehydrated apple and strawberries can be used to make frozen fruit bars. Concentration of phenolic and vitamin C increased in the frozen fruit bars (e.g. higher nutrient amounts in same volume than fresh)
Fruit	Apple Slices	Dry Blanching and dehydration with continuous heating	IR dries and dehydrates in one step versus convention (blanche then dry) two step process. IR has lower energy use, shorter processing time, higher quality, and less environmental impact. Thinner slices did not work too well (<5mm)
Fruit	Tomato	Infrared radiation to peel tomato	Versus lye peeling - similar peeling easiness but lower peeling loss (5.2% - 9.8% vs 10.7% to 13.6%) and firmer peeled product in same amount of time (30 to 75s). NO need for lye or water - less environmental impact
Fruit	Peach	IR peach peeling	VS lye peeling - no environmental impact, less energy. Comparable peelability and peel loss results
Fruit	Tomato	Dry Peeling of Tomatoes part II	Determined that distance of heaters to tomatoes, presorting tomatoes by size can help to improve peel throughput and reduce process time.
Fruit	Tomato	Peeling of tomato - peel loosening and cracking	Verified that IR can help loosen the skins for easier peeling
Fruit	Tomato	processing tomato peel of IR and hot lye	Need to heat to 63-72C for IR versus 43 - 75C for Lye
Fruit	Pears	blanching and dehydration	Pan and McHugh 2004
Fruit	Blueberries	blanching and dehydration	Shi Et Al 2008

Category	Product	Process	Results
Grains	Rice	Drying rough rice	High heating rate, fast drying, and good rice quality can be achieved by heating rice to 60C followed by tempering and natural cooling up to 10mm thick. Less rice cracking as the heating does not heat up the rice but the water. IR heating, tempering (at same temp as rice), and then air cool
Grains	Rice	Drying rough rice with IR heating	Heat rice to 60C, tempering, and the cooling with natural, forced air, and vaccum results in improved drying efficiency, space saving, clean working environment, and superior product quality. Heat applied for 120S
Grains	Rice	Same article different journal	Partially dehydrated apple and strawberries can be used to make frozen fruit bars. Concentration of phenolic and vitamin C increased in the frozen fruit bars (e.g. higher nutrient amounts in same volume than fresh)

Category	Product	Process	Results
Nuts	Almonds	Dry roasting and pasteurization	Results indicate heating the almond with IR and then continue with hot air for best results to not only roast but also pasteurize as required
Nuts	Almonds	Infrared pasteurization of raw almonds	Heating almond to 109C followed with 1 hr cooling yielded best pasteurization effect. IR and hot air combined not only pasteurized but also reduced drying time
Nuts	Walnuts	Infrared pre-drying and dry dehulling	7% moisture reduction in 240s of IR. 180S followed by hot air have no impact on final product. Dry Dehulling reduces energy use in transportation as well as water use. Reduces drying time from 24H
Nuts	Almonds	Shelf life of IR roasted almonds versus Hot Air	IR and Hot air roasting can reduce time by 30 to 70% and meet pasteurization requirements. The almonds had similar shelf life as traditional hot air roasted. IR could save money because it can reduce total roasting time.

Category	Product	Process	Results
Vegetables	French Fries	Blanching – comparison between IR & water	IR blanched in 200s versus 16 minute by hot water. The final IR blanched fries had less oil (more than 30% less) than water blanched. Similar energy usage
Vegetables	Carrots	Dry blanching and dehydration	IR can not only dry but also blanch to reduce the steps needed. No impact to taste or color.
Vegetables	French Fries	Infrared dry-blanching for lower calories	Blanching with IR reduced the amount of oil, which means lower calories. Panelists indicated the taste was of IR blanched fries were better
Vegetables	Corn	blanching and dehydration	Pan and McHugh 2004
Vegetables	Onion	blanching and dehydration	Gabel Et Al 2006
Vegetables	Tea	drying of tea	Improves the flavor and leaves the chemical compounds in the tea intact.