Fruit drying technology with low power ion wind

A research team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) has developed a new method to efficiently dry fruit by blowing wind without using a fan.

When you want to dry something, the first thing that comes to mind is the method of drying it with warm air against the object. However, if the fruit is dried for a long time and heated, it not only loses its taste, but also destroys nutrients, so it is usually dried by sending a fan at room temperature.

Air is a mixture of gas molecules such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. The atoms that make up these gas molecules are composed of negatively charged electrons and actively heavier protons. Here, when a high positive voltage is applied to a wire that is in the air, negative electrons around the wire are attracted to the wire, and a force to repel both is applied. As a result, molecules actively flow to one place. These molecular flows collide with gas molecules that are not charged to all, forming a large flow, which in turn creates airflow, or wind.

Until now, research has been limited in drying fruit and weak ion wind. In cooperation with a Canadian research team, the idea was tested by putting the fruit in a grounded metal mesh rather than a food tray, resulting in stronger ion wind generation, allowing moisture to evaporate from the fruit evenly and evenly at twice the speed of the previous one, allowing faster drying.

The research team explained that no one has ever thought of using ion air for drying purposes, and explained that the ion air drying method can dry fruits evenly while preserving more nutrients faster than other methods, and less than half the energy. Because this method can be easily extended, EMPA is working with local companies to commercialize the ion wind dryer. Related information can be found here .