Industrial Drying of Figs with JIMU Food Heat Pump Dryer

In the food processing industry, preserving seasonal produce like figs while maintaining their nutritional value is a key challenge. The JIMU Food Heat Pump Dryer offers an efficient, industrial-scale solution for drying various fruits, vegetables, and meats, with figs being an excellent candidate for this advanced technology.

Efficient and Energy-Saving Drying

The JIMU Heat Pump Dryer operates on a closed-loop system that recycles heat, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to traditional drying methods. By recovering sensible and latent heat from the exhausted moist air, the system achieves outstanding energy efficiency. The SMER (Specific Moisture Extraction Rate) of heat pump dryers typically ranges between 1.0-4.0 kg/kWh, far surpassing the 0.2-0.6 kg/kWh of conventional convection dryers. This makes the drying process both economical and environmentally friendly.

Optimal Drying Process for Figs

For fig drying, the JIMU dryer employs a carefully controlled multi-stage process:

1. Preparation: Select ripe figs, eliminate damaged fruits, and wash thoroughly. Figs can be sliced to increase surface area and accelerate drying.

2. Temperature-controlled Drying:

   • Initial drying at approximately 55°C for proper heating without case hardening

   • Main drying phase at 60-65°C with active dehumidification

   • Final drying stage at 68°C to achieve target moisture content

This controlled approach prevents over-drying or under-drying, ensuring consistent quality throughout the batch.

Preserving Nutritional Quality

The JIMU dryer's low-temperature drying capability (20-80°C) is ideal for heat-sensitive materials like figs, preserving their nutritional profile. Dried figs retain most of their original nutrients, including:

• High dietary fiber (13.30g per 100g)

• Essential minerals like calcium (363mg), potassium (898mg), and magnesium (96mg)

• B vitamins including thiamin (0.13mg) and riboflavin (0.07mg)

The closed drying system prevents contamination from external pollutants, ensuring food safety and quality.

Large-Capacity Industrial Processing

Designed for industrial operations, the JIMU Food Heat Pump Dryer offers substantial processing capacity in each batch, enabling large-scale production of dried figs while maintaining uniform quality across all products. The system's advanced control systems allow for automatic operation with minimal supervision, optimizing the drying parameters for different materials.

Extended Shelf Life and Versatility

The reduction of moisture content to approximately 15-20% in dried figs significantly extends their shelf life, inhibiting microbial growth and enzymatic degradation. This preservation method allows year-round availability of figs without the need for refrigeration.

Beyond figs, the JIMU dryer effectively processes various food products, including other fruits, vegetables, meats, herbs, and medicinal plants, making it a versatile investment for food processing facilities.

Conclusion

The JIMU Food Heat Pump Dryer represents an advanced solution for industrial-scale fig drying, combining energy efficiency, preservation of nutritional quality, and large-capacity processing. By maintaining the figs' natural color, flavor, and nutrient profile while extending shelf life, this technology supports sustainable food processing practices that benefit both producers and consumers.