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Drying is known as the best method to preserve fruits, vegetables, and herbs, decreasing not only the raw material volume but also its weight. This results in cheaper transportation and increments the product shelf life, limiting the food waste. Drying involves the application of energy in order to vaporize and mobilize the moisture content within the porous products. During this process, the heat and mass transfer occurs simultaneously. The quality of dehydrated fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs is a key problem closely related to the development and optimization of novel drying techniques. This review reports the weaknesses of common drying methods applied for fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs and the possible options to improve the quality of dried products using different drying techniques or their combination. The quality parameters under study include color, bulk density, porosity, shrinkage, phytochemicals, antioxidant capacity, sugars, proteins, volatile compounds, and sensory attributes. In general, drying leads to reduction in all studied parameters. However, the behavior of each plant material is different. On the whole, the optimal drying technique is different for each of the materials studied and specific conditions must be recommended after a proper evaluation of the drying protocols. However, a novel or combined technique must assure a high quality of dried products. Furthermore, the term quality must englobe the energy efficiency and the environmental impact leading to production of sustainable dried products.

In the absence of effective drying techniques, a lot of food gets wasted as there is a lack of post-harvest processes. In India, most of the agricultural produces like paddy, maize, wheat, corn, oil seeds, pulses, chillies, etc. require a temperature range of 50–80 °C for effective drying. Hence, in these conditions, solar drying techniques seem to be the most economical; also, it is safe and eco-friendly. Various types of solar dryers are used across India and worldwide; these are direct solar dryer, green house dryer and indirect solar dryer. Nowadays, indirect type solar dryers are most commonly used because of their several advantages over direct solar dryers. In case of indirect type solar dryers, the products to be dried are kept inside a separate compartment known as drying chamber. Hot air is obtained from the solar collectors either by direct heating method or by using a secondary heating medium and then supplied to the drying chamber for heating of the products. This paper presents a detailed review of various innovative designs of indirect type solar dryers and compares the performance of different types of dryer configuration in terms of collector efficiency, dryer efficiency, drying time and maximum air temperature. Also, the effects of various operating parameters on the thermal performance of such dryers have been discussed.

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. This publication was made possible by the QNRF-MME award (MME01-0924-190063) from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).

Seaweeds are potentially a valuable resource for the food, drink and pharmaceutical sectors. The effective utilization of seaweed usually requires post-harvest dehydration in order to prevent decomposition, increase shelf life and aid the extraction of certain chemical constituents. Drying is an expensive, time-consuming and energy-intensive process. Here, the presence of a range of nutritionally important compounds was studied in five brown seaweeds (Fucus spiralis, Laminaria digitata, Fucus serratus, Halidrys siliquosa, Pelvetia canaliculata) after oven-drying at 40 and 60 °C, freeze-drying and microwave-drying at 385, 540 and 700 W. Antioxidant potential (total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging activity), soluble protein, lipid, amino acid and fatty acid profiles were determined in each case. Overall, results showed that low-temperature drying, such as freeze-drying and oven-drying at 40 °C, produced products with higher concentrations of nutritionally important chemicals, as well as stronger antioxidant activities. Results suggest that concentrations of nutritionally important chemicals and antioxidant activity are influenced by both the drying treatment and seaweed species used. Where rapid drying techniques are found to be beneficial to levels of specific chemicals, microwave-drying could be a useful alternative to oven-drying, as it helps overcome issues associated with prolonged duration drying (contamination and oxidation). No single drying procedure could be identified as consistently superior for all species or all compounds of interest—indicating that the appropriate drying technique should be selected and optimized for each seaweed species whilst also taking into account potential end-use of the final product.

Cinnamomum camphora seed kernel protein isolate (CPI) has attracted increasing attention due to its sustainability and potential applications. This study aimed to investigate the effects of freeze-drying (FD), vacuum-drying (VD), and spray-drying (SD) on the physicochemical and functional properties of CPI. The morphology observation results showed that the SD-CPI, SD-CPI, and VD-CPI were spherical, lamellar, and massive, respectively. Compared to FD and SD, VD had more impact on the color, surface hydrophobicity, intermolecular disulfide bonds, intrinsic fluorescence, and thermal stability of CPI. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses showed that among three CPI samples, VD-CPI had the highest content of β-sheet but the lowest contents of α-helix and β-turn. At different pH values, the solubility, emulsification, and foaming properties of VD-CPI were inferior to those of FD-CPI and SD-CPI. These results provide useful information on the changes in the physicochemical and functional properties of CPI subjected to different drying methods, and offer theoretical guidance for the production and use of CPI in the food industry.

The objective of this work was to design and characterize liquid and solid self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) for poorly soluble atorvastatin. To optimize the composition of liquid atorvastatin-SEDDS, solubility tests, pseudoternary phase diagrams, emulsification studies and other in vitro examinations (thermodynamic stability, droplet size and zeta potential analysis) were performed. Due to the disadvantages of liquid SEDDS (few choices for dosage forms, low stability and portability during the manufacturing process), attempts were also made to obtain solid SEDDS. Solid SEDDS were successfully obtained using the spray drying technique from two optimized liquid formulations, CF3 and OF2. Despite liquid SEDDS formulation, CF3 was characterized by lower turbidity, higher percentage transmittance and better self-emulsifying properties, and based on the in vitro dissolution study it can be concluded that better solubilization properties were exhibited by solid formulation OF2. Overall, the studies demonstrated the possibility of formulating liquid and solid SEEDS as promising carriers of atorvastatin. SEDDS, with their unique solubilization properties, provide the opportunity to deliver lipophilic drugs to the gastrointestinal tract in a solubilized state, avoiding dissolution—a restricting factor in absorption rate of BCS Class 2 drugs, including atorvastatin.

Spray drying, which is a cost-effective dehydration method in the food industry, excels at preserving product integrity. Still, it has problems like losing quality because of heat, not being able to control particle sizes as well as it could, wasting energy, and nozzle blockages that make bioactive compounds like vitamin C, carotenoids, flavanols, and anthocyanins less effective. A new era of spray drying is unfolding, marked by breakthroughs such as ultrasound-assisted, nano, vacuum, dehumidified air, superheated steam, pulse combustion, foam, and flame methods, which promise improved preservation, energy use, and powder consistency. These technologies refine the drying process, shoring up the defense of delicate bioactives, averting nozzle blockages, and honing particle size precision. Additionally, the spray chilling method bolsters the resilience of vulnerable ingredients through processing and storage. The exploration of novel biopolymers as carriers aims to combat public health issues like obesity and cardiovascular disease. This critical review captures the transformative strides made by recent spray drying approaches and encapsulating agents, driving food processing forward towards greater quality, health benefits, and industrial sustainability. Graphical Abstract

A sustainable shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) is essential to achieve a considerable reduction in emissions. The production of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) used in EVs is an energy-intensive and costly process. It can also lead to significant embedded emissions depending on the source of energy used. In fact, about 39% of the energy consumption in LIB production is associated with drying processes, where the electrode drying step accounts for about a half. Despite the enormous energy consumption and costs originating from drying processes, they are seldomly researched in the battery industry. Establishing knowledge within the LIB industry regarding state-of-the-art drying techniques and solvent evaporation mechanisms is vital for optimising process conditions, detecting alternative solvent systems, and discovering novel techniques. This review aims to give a summary of the state-of-the-art LIB processing techniques. An in-depth understanding of the influential factors for each manufacturing step of LIBs is then established, emphasising the electrode structure and electrochemical performance. Special attention is dedicated to the convection drying step in conventional water and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)-based electrode manufacturing. Solvent omission in dry electrode processing substantially lowers the energy demand and allows for a thick, mechanically stable electrode coating. Small changes in the electrode manufacturing route may have an immense impact on the final battery performance. Electrodes used for research and development often have a different production route and techniques compared to those processed in industry. The scalability issues related to the comparison across scales are discussed and further emphasised when the industry moves towards the next-generation techniques. Finally, the critical aspects of the innovations and industrial modifications that aim to overcome the main challenges are presented.

Over the past decade, the increasing emphasis on sustainable material production has brought aerogel technology to the forefront of scientific and industrial research. Aerogels are known for their extraordinary properties, such as high porosity and low density, which make them suitable for a wide range of applications from thermal insulation in buildings to drug delivery systems. This review systematically investigates the sustainability of aerogel production by analyzing the environmental impacts identified in recent life cycle assessments (LCAs). It examines studies on aerogel production using different precursors, solvents, and energy-intensive production methods, especially drying techniques, providing a comprehensive analysis of the environmental footprints and highlighting several hotspots. The review particularly focuses on identifying the disparities in LCA methodologies and the results obtained, which are crucial for crafting a roadmap toward more sustainable aerogel production. The findings emphasize the need for standardized functional units and lifecycle phases that reflect the specific applications of aerogels, thus enabling more accurate comparisons and assessments. The review concludes with a discussion of the critical gaps in current LCA studies of aerogels. It also offers sustainability recommendations based on identified hotspots, advocating for improvements in aerogel production techniques that minimize environmental impacts, enhance material efficiency, and reduce waste. By addressing these gaps, this paper aims to foster a deeper understanding of aerogel sustainability and encourage the development of more environmentally friendly practices in aerogel production and application. Graphical Abstract

This paper introduces a comparative study between two methods, standard oven drying method and microstrip moisture sensor (MMS), for calculating moisture content (MC) of alluvial soil. This paper aims to reduce the time of calculating moisture content of soil to few hours from MMS in comparison with 24 h from standard oven drying method, which is presently a standard test in construction industry for determination of moisture content of soil. Therefore, for this purpose, a microstrip moisture sensor is designed and fabricated using computer simulation technology (CST) software. While, measurement of MC in soil performed by sensor using vector network analyser (VNA). Hence, the result obtained from MMS for soil is compared with standard oven drying method. In this way, sensor is found to be accurate with error of 1.15% only, which is negligible. Therefore, sensor can be adopted for measurement of moisture content of soil. In this way, efficiency of construction industry can be increased. Also this paper’s another objective is to analyse the phenomenon of bulking of sand from designed sensor. It is found that sensor is able to detect bulking of sand accurately. Though, for study three sample of alluvial soil and sand is taken from three different construction sites.