2 MISC. PUBLICATION 1 52 4, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



When the food is dehydrated one ship 

 will carry as much as six 



DEHYDRATED 

 I 



% 



NOT DEHYDRATED 



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Figure 1. — We can't afford to use precious ships to carry water around the world. 

 It has been estimated that dehydrated foods, from which most of the water has 

 been removed, can be shipped, on an average, in one-sixth of the cargo space 

 required for fresh or canned foods of the same kind. Moreover, they do not 

 require refrigeration. 



volume of dehydrated vegetables roughly averages about one-sixth that 

 of the original fresh products. This means that one ship or freight 

 car or plane or truck can do the food-carrying job of six, while five are 

 released for other vital transportation needs (fig. 1). Weight is re- 

 duced even more than bulk — to one-tenth of that of the raw product. 

 This also is an important consideration, especially in shipping by air. 

 No inedible material takes up space or adds to the w 7 eight of dehydrated 

 foods, for tops, skins, cores, and seeds are removed before drying 

 (fig. 2). 



The requirement that less metal be used for containers is fulfilled 

 by dehydrated foods mainly because of the great reduction in volume 

 (fig. 3). A large proportion of the 5-gallon cans now chiefly used in 

 shipping these foods may later be replaced by nonmetal substitute 

 packages which are being developed. 



In spite of the savings they effect in cargo space and strategic metal, 

 there would be little use in sending dehydrated foods that were not 

 appetizing and nutritious around the world to feed soldiers and hun- 

 gry people. Dehyrated foods are attractive in appearance, have a 

 pleasing taste, and supply many of the important nutritive elements. 



DEHYDRATION, OLD AND NEW 



"Dehydration" is merely another word for drying, or the removal 

 of water, but as used today it means drying foods quickly under con- 

 trolled conditions of temperature, humidity, and air flow so that their 

 color and flavor are retained and their cellular structure is not dam- 



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