Radiant energy under vacuum (REV) technology is a process in which microwave energy and vacuum pressure are combined to deliver high-speed and low-temperature food dehydration. REV is effective for drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat, and seafood under or above their freezing points.
But perhaps its biggest potential today is in creating healthy snacks. One example of its success comes from chickpeas and zucchini veggie snacks, which have produced higher positive numbers for fiber, protein, and potassium sources for daily intake. REV dehydration of pineapples has generated similar results. These trends indicate that REV is at the forefront of creating an attractive, wider, and healthier market of snacks that retain their nutritional value.
When it comes to preserving and drying fresh fruits and vegetables, for decades, air-drying and freeze-drying have been the most common traditional methods. As a technology, REV is a relatively new approach: microwave energy is applied to food under vacuum and results in rapid, low-temperature food dehydration.
Both air-drying and freeze-drying are significantly more time-consuming than the REV process, and the heat utilized by air drying can result in a reduced quality of the final product. Freeze-drying often employs vacuum as well, but it can impact the flavor of some products.
Source: foodindustryexecutive.com