Compared to protein or starch-based foods, fruit juices are harder to dry.

Compared to protein or starch-based foods, fruit juices are harder to dry.

• A. Easier to dry
• B. Harder to dry
• C. Similar to drying
• D. Cannot be dried

Answer: (B)

Drying behavior depends on both the material’s internal structure and how water moves to the surface. Fruit juices are mainly water with a lot of dissolved sugars and other solids. As water is removed, those dissolved components become more concentrated, making the surface sticky and viscous. That stickiness slows water diffusion to the surface and can cause crusting or clumping, which hinders further moisture removal. In contrast, proteins and starches tend to form more open, porous solid matrices during drying, which allows water to migrate to the surface more readily and drying proceeds more easily. So the high sugar content and resulting sticky surface of fruit juice make it harder to dry than protein- or starch-based foods.

Drying behavior depends on both the material’s internal structure and how water moves to the surface. Fruit juices are mainly water with a lot of dissolved sugars and other solids. As water is removed, those dissolved components become more concentrated, making the surface sticky and viscous. That stickiness slows water diffusion to the surface and can cause crusting or clumping, which hinders further moisture removal. In contrast, proteins and starches tend to form more open, porous solid matrices during drying, which allows water to migrate to the surface more readily and drying proceeds more easily. So the high sugar content and resulting sticky surface of fruit juice make it harder to dry than protein- or starch-based foods.