Pretreating Fruits and Vegetables

Although you can dry and store many foods without pretreatment, pretreatment generally improves quality, particularly for vegetables. Five major reasons for treating foods before drying are to

1. Preserve color and flavor

2. Minimize nutrient loss

3. Stop decomposition (enzyme action)

4. Ensure more even drying

5. Extend storage life

Pretreatment Methods for Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits

• Ascorbic acid/citric acid dips

• Salt solution dip

• Syrup blanching

• Honey dip

• Sulfiting

Vegetables

• Steam blanching

• Water blanching