Systematic Review on Refractance Window Drying for Preserving Heat Sensitive Agricultural Products

ABSTRACT Drying techniques play a crucial role in food preservation, ensuring quality, safety, and extended shelf life for agricultural products. This study reviews refractance window drying (RWD) as an energy‐efficient and sustainable approach for drying heat‐sensitive agricultural products while evaluating its potential integration with traditional drying methods to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption. RWD, in comparison to conventional techniques, like drum drying, emphasizes advantages in energy efficiency, nutritional preservation, and drying time. RWD reduces energy consumption by 40%–50% and preserves more vitamins and antioxidants than traditional methods. It reduces drying time by 30%–40% compared to hot‐air oven drying. The study examines the impact of RWD on the product's quality parameters, including texture and color, which are crucial for both industrial and commercial products. The findings indicate that RWD is a reliable alternative to conventional drying methods in both laboratory and industrial environments. A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of a total of 110 peer‐reviewed research studies showed that RWD improved energy efficiency by requiring 30%–50% less energy than conventional methods. RWD retained a much higher percentage of quality, with vitamins and antioxidants preserving over 90% of their integrity, compared to 60%–80% for other methods. Furthermore, RWD markedly reduced microbial load, achieving a 3–4 log reduction that exceeds the effectiveness of the majority of different drying methods. Artificial intelligence and machine learning in practical data operations led to an efficiency improvement of 15%–20% in the drying process while enhancing product quality and reducing operational expenses. RWD is an efficient method for drying heat‐sensitive crops, providing significant advantages in energy efficiency, quality retention, and microbiological safety.