Publicação
Acorn pre-drying: implications for the food industry
| datacite.subject.fos | Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Mecânica | |
| datacite.subject.fos | Engenharia e Tecnologia | |
| datacite.subject.sdg | 07:Energias Renováveis e Acessíveis | |
| datacite.subject.sdg | 09:Indústria, Inovação e Infraestruturas | |
| datacite.subject.sdg | 11:Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis | |
| dc.contributor.author | Farrero, Bernardo | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ribeiro, Luís Frölén | |
| dc.contributor.author | Famiglietti, Antonio | |
| dc.contributor.author | Babo, Pedro | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-05-14T08:58:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-05-14T08:58:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In industry, 74% of the energy consumed is used in the form of heat. The food sector is characterised by a high share of processes that rely on industrial heat [1]. However, 90% of this thermal energy currently comes from fossil fuels, and only 9% is supplied by renewable sources [2]. The adoption of solar thermal technologies in the food industry offers multiple benefits that support its viability as an energy alternative to overcome this caveat. Firstly, by relying on a renewable and stable source. Manufacturers can reduce production costs and limit their exposure to the volatility of fossil fuel prices, thereby ensuring greater long-term price stability and predictability [3]. These reductions in energy costs may also be reflected in lower prices for the end consumer. Solar-assisted dehydration enables a decrease in moisture content, thereby limiting microbial growth and food spoilage [3]. In this regard, Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP) may also address food security concerns as storage losses are estimated to reach up to 20%, posing a critical challenge to food security [4]. The installation of in-situ pre-dehydration systems near harvesting zones provides clear benefits for energy efficiency and product quality. The Iberian Peninsula, notably, benefits from very high solar radiation, with many clear-sky days and extended sunlight periods, making it particularly suitable for solar-based pre-dehydration systems. By lowering produce weight and moisture before transportation, these systems decrease fossil energy demand during both industrial drying and large-scale transport [5]. This approach reduces the final product cost, as demonstrated by an in-situ solar dryer used for acorns in Alentejo holm oak groves. The passive, indirect mobile dryer, fitted with hanging bags, reduces acorn moisture content by 15% after 72 hours of drying, delays fruit spoilage, and cuts large-scale industrial heat input [6,4]. Thermal energy data from a factory case at Landratech, an acorn food producer involved in the MEDACORNET project, indicate that 15% in-situ pre-dehydration cuts thermal energy use by 52% during both initial and final drying stages of acorn flour manufacture [3]. This combined method lowers fossil fuel use, reduces losses, improves energy efficiency, and supports sustainability in the food processing sector. | por |
| dc.description.sponsorship | The authors thank PRIMA-Med Section 2 and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia- FCT- I.P. through PRIMA/0005/2022, within the scope of the project MEDACORNET- Rescuing acorns as a Mediterranean traditional superfood. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Farrero, Bernardo; Ribeiro, Luís Frölén; Famiglietti, Antonio; Babo, Pedro (2025). Acorn pre-drying: implications for the food industry. In International FoodTec Conference – Shaping the Future of Sustainable Food Ecosystems | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10198/36660 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.peerreviewed | no | |
| dc.publisher | morecolab | |
| dc.relation | PRIMA/0005/2022 | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | |
| dc.title | Acorn pre-drying: implications for the food industry | por |
| dc.type | conference object | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.awardNumber | PRIMA/0005/2022 | |
| oaire.awardTitle | PRIMA/0005/2022 | |
| oaire.awardURI | info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/PRIMA Section 2 - 2022/PRIMA%2F0005%2F2022/PT | |
| oaire.citation.title | International FoodTec Conference – Shaping the Future of Sustainable Food Ecosystems | |
| oaire.fundingStream | PRIMA Section 2 - 2022 | |
| oaire.version | http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 | |
| person.familyName | Farrero | |
| person.familyName | Ribeiro | |
| person.familyName | Babo | |
| person.givenName | Bernardo | |
| person.givenName | Luís Frölén | |
| person.givenName | Pedro | |
| person.identifier | 214770 | |
| person.identifier | BisNVxQAAAAJ | |
| person.identifier.ciencia-id | 821D-D5CB-3836 | |
| person.identifier.ciencia-id | 7816-27A0-164D | |
| person.identifier.ciencia-id | 671A-70FE-D40D | |
| person.identifier.orcid | 0009-0000-1666-2154 | |
| person.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-4336-6216 | |
| person.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-4347-599X | |
| person.identifier.scopus-author-id | 55938870500 | |
| person.identifier.scopus-author-id | 56641496700 | |
| project.funder.identifier | http://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871 | |
| project.funder.name | Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | |
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