title: Food structure: Its formation and relationships with other properties.
abstract: Food materials are complex in nature as it has heterogeneous, amorphous, hygroscopic and porous properties. During processing, microstructure of food materials changes which significantly affects other properties of food. An appropriate understanding of the microstructure of the raw food material and its evolution during processing is critical in order to understand and accurately describe dehydration processes and quality anticipation. This review critically assesses the factors that influence the modification of microstructure in the course of drying of fruits and vegetables. The effect of simultaneous heat and mass transfer on microstructure in various drying methods is investigated. Effects of changes in microstructure on other functional properties of dried foods are discussed. After an extensive review of the literature, it is found that development of food structure significantly depends on fresh food properties and process parameters. Also, modification of microstructure influences the other properties of final product. An enhanced understanding of the relationships between food microstructure, drying process parameters and final product quality will facilitate the energy efficient optimum design of the food processor in order to achieve high-quality food.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane , Australia.|b Department of Mechanical Engineering , Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology , Rajshahi , Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mohammad U H
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Joardder
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane , Australia.
authors.forename: Chandan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane , Australia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karim
mesh_terms: D003890:Desiccation; D005511:Food Handling; D005519:Food Preservation; D063427:Food Quality; D057141:Food, Preserved / Q000032:analysis; D005612:Freeze Drying; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008872:Microwaves; D013649:Taste; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
keywords: Microstructure; drying; drying parameters; food quality; heat and mass transfer