One of the oldest methods of preserving food is by drying. This method is still used to this day, and researchers from Queensland University of Technology are seeking to improve the method.
Published in journal PLOS ONE, researchers used QUT's supercomputing facilities to examine the micromechanical behaviour of plant tissues and how biological cells behave while dehydrated or dried.
Lead investigator Dr Charith Rathnayaka is a computational scientist from QUT's Faculty of Science and Engineering investigating the physics, mathematics, and biology of agricultural cell structures to improve food production.
"By developing the computational model, it is possible to estimate how the cells are being damaged when they are being processed for preservation, storage or packaging," Dr Rathnayaka said.
"This innovation has the potential to influence the future of food drying processes globally in terms of reducing cost, optimising food processing, energy conservation and increasing dried food shelf life."
More details about this over at EurekAlert.
(Image Credit: Jean-Louis Vandevivère/ Wikimedia Commons)