Drying of roots and tubers

Roots and tubers are important crops, mainly used as sources of carbohydrates for humans or to obtain industrial ingredients. The most important roots and tubers are potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, yams, carrots, and beetroots. They are used for the obtention of several products, such as chips, snacks, soaps, purees, starches, sugars, and colorants, among others. The in natura roots and tubers are high-moisture and high perishable products. Consequently, drying is an important unit operation to increase their stability. However, traditional drying can also jeopardize the quality of those products. This chapter describes the main properties of the most important roots and crops, as well as different strategies for drying them. Both traditional and emerging processing approaches are detailed to achieve products with the desired functionality. Future challenges and perspectives are also discussed.