Tomato Chunk Hot Air Drying Equipment

The core goal of tomato chunk hot air drying equipment is to lock in lycopene and the bright red color while dehydrating, avoiding browning and nutrient loss caused by high temperatures. Since tomatoes have a moisture content as high as 90%–95% and are rich in sugar and pectin, the drying process is prone to surface crusting, sticking, and scorching. Therefore, equipment selection needs to revolve around multi-stage temperature control, uniform air supply, and anti-sticking design.

Mesh Belt Hot Air Dryer: Tomato chunks are spread on multiple layers of stainless steel mesh belts, and hot air vertically penetrates the material layer, with the chunks turning and falling layer by layer.

Core advantages: Continuous production, large processing capacity, high degree of automation, suitable for large-scale processing; air volume, temperature, and residence time can be flexibly adjusted.

Applicable scenarios: Medium and large dehydrated vegetable factories, tomato product processing enterprises.

For large-scale tomato chunk processing, the multi-layer mesh belt dryer is the most widely used and technically mature solution. Its typical structure includes a material spreading mechanism, hot air system, heating system, air distribution system, transmission system, moisture exhaust system, and electrical control system.

Working principle: Materials are evenly spread onto the mesh belt by a feeder (usually 12–60 mesh stainless steel wire mesh), and the mesh belt slowly moves under the drive of the transmission device. The dryer consists of several independent units, each with independent hot air circulation. Hot air passes through the material layer from bottom to top or from top to bottom, completing heat and mass transfer and carrying away moisture.

Selection Recommendations

- Temperature control precision: Tomatoes are sensitive to temperature and require independent multi-stage temperature control capability to avoid lycopene degradation and browning caused by high temperatures.

- Anti-sticking design: Tomatoes have high sugar content and easily adhere to the mesh belt. Consider configuring non-stick coated mesh belts or anti-sticking structures.

- Heat source matching: Factories with steam conditions have lower operating costs; those without steam conditions can use air-source heat pumps, which have significant energy-saving effects.

- Pretreatment coordination: It is recommended to equip cutting equipment and blanching equipment. Blanching (95–100°C for 30 seconds to 2 minutes) can deactivate polyphenol oxidase and prevent browning during drying.