5
FOOD TREATMENT
Hygienic precautions for plant products
Always work hygienic and use only fresh products that are properly cooled and stored until
preparation. Check if food is spoiled, before using it. Food that is spoiled may contaminate
your entire batch. We recommend to only use fresh and if possible seasonal food. Never use
food that is marinated in alcohol to avoid the risk of a fire or explosion.
Hygienic precautions for animal products
Dehydrating at medium range temperatures does not kill pathogens. It is therefore important
that any meat or fish that is being dehydrated has been properly heated first, as to illuminate
the risk of a pathogen contamination.
Meat should be heated to a temperature above 68 °C for a longer period prior to dehydrating.
A piece with a thickness of 5 centimetre should be heated for at least 14 minutes at this
temperature. Thicker pieces require a longer time. Fish should be heated until 93 °C until flaky.
Fat should be removed from meat as much as possible. Too much fat may cause unwanted
dripping.
Food preparation
Food should be sliced to a thickness of 6 to 20 mm. Meats slices should ideally not be thicker
than 5 mm. Fruit can best be soaked in a citric liquid, such as lemon juice, for a few minutes
to avoid the loss of colour.
Vegetables may require blanching. This will inhibit the enzymatic activity which causes loss of
flavour and colour fading. Cook the vegetables or place them in the microwave until they are
done, but still a bit crispy. Subsequently you immerse the vegetables in cold water, stopping
the cooking process. Next, dry the vegetables with, for instance, a clean towel.
All the food should be dry before placing it in the dehydrator. It should be placed on
dehydration trays without overlapping.
Optimal drying temperature and duration
Nutrients such as enzymes and vitamins are maximally preserved at a drying temperature
below 42 °C. The drying time depends on various factors such as the moisture content, the
maturity, the average thickness, the set drying temperature and the total filling of the dryer.
The drying time must be set so that the food dries completely. As a rule of thumb you can do
the following test: When you take a few slices or pieces between two fingers you can
immediately feel whether they are still damp. If the surface no longer sticks to the fingers, or
the surfaces of either slices or pieces can’t slide against each other, the drying is sufficient.
You can choose to shorten the drying time by increasing the temperature.