| abstract |
A process for making a dehydrated, porous and crunchy snack made of vegetables, meat or seafood. A portion of vegetable, such as potato, sweet potato, carrot, beet or parsnip, or a portion of meat or seafood is frozen, ice crystals forming in the portion of food. The frozen portion is exposed to microwave radiation in a microwave dehydrator at a vacuum pressure in which the boiling point of the water is above 0 ° C, causing the frozen portion to thaw and the water to evaporate from the thawed portion. Evaporation leaves pores that were formed by ice crystals in the food portion, resulting in a dehydrated, porous and crunchy snack. |