Effect of Thickness in Drying of Beef

Experiment No. 3

EFFECT OF THICKNESS ON DRYING OF BEEF

Introduction

Preservation is the principal reason for drying. It is one of the oldest and easiest methods of preserving food. Ancient civilizations have long before practiced the drying of meat under the sun and wind. This technique of preserving food is still rampantly used today because dried foods have a longer shelf life, hence, it can be stored for long periods of time without deterioration occurring. This happens because microorganisms that cause food spoilage are unable to grow and multiply since the food did not meet the optimum water activity that can let the spoilage microorganisms thrive. Also, without water, enzymes which promote undesirable changes in the chemical composition of the food cannot function.

Drying is not solely a preservation method. It is also incorporated in other processes like in the baking of bread, the application of heat changes the structure of the protein and starch therefore dries the loaf and curing of cheese, drying can cause loss of moisture whenever they are not desired. Dried meat is a food product that is now common in the market in the forms of jerky, bacon, hams, sausages, etc.

Drying of food implies the removal of water or moisture from the food. It causes the moisture content and water activity to lower. It also causes foods to shrink in size and become lighter whenever dried because most foods’ major component is water. Drying food lose only a little nutrition in the food.

In this experiment, the students made use of tray dryers. In tray dryers, the food is spread out individually on trays wherein the drying will take place. Heating may be by an air current sweeping across the trays, by conduction from heated trays or shelves on which trays lie, or by radiation from heated surfaces. Most tray dryers are heated by air, which also removes the moist vapours.

The laboratory equipments used in this experiment were the tray dryer, moisture content...