Electrohydrodynamic drying of foods: Principle, applications, and prospects

Electrohydrodynamic drying (EHD) is a promising emerging drying technology involving the interaction of high voltage electric field-generated corona wind with dielectric food material. Unlike conventional drying technologies that are energy-intensive, EHD consumes less energy and produces dried foods with acceptable sensory quality. Although EHD has proven potential for industrial-scale applications, its underlying drying mechanism is not well established. Over several decades, there has been a vast research interest in EHD of foods; however, limited commercial applications are reported. Accordingly, the focus of this review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the theories and underlying concepts of EHD, explaining its role in the design of EHD systems. Importantly, an extensive summary of applications involving EHD of foods is presented, comparing EHD with other drying approaches. To conclude, challenges associated with scale-up are elaborated, providing directions for future research work.