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Description

Superheated Steam (SS) Processing and drying of food has several advantages over conventional hot-air drying, including lower energy input and reduction in food oxidation and contamination and is therefore growing in popularity. Mathematical modeling and computer simulation of dehydration processes are used to predict and compare the performances of different drying systems.

Superheated Steam can be used to strip odour from distillers’ spent grain (DSG), a by-product of ethanol production, and can therefore add value to DSG.

SS processing has been evaluated as an alternative to conventional heat treating on Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores.  Oat grain must be treated prior to human consumption to inactivate fat-splitting enzymes, prevent development of rancidity, obtain desirable flavour, and reduce microbial load.

Work is also done on developing a selective breakdown approach for the recovery of high-value oligosaccharides from waste material left over during the extraction of the valuable portion of flax straw.

Lab equipment available:

• superheated steam processing drier
• texture analyser
• supercritical fluid extraction system
• instron machine
• satake milling unit
• colorimeter
• scanning differential calorimeter
• aspirator