Özet:

Meat is important part of a healthy diet because of nutritional value. Also meat is an important source of high biological value protein, B group vitamins and some minerals. In this context, consumption of meat products, is important in terms of nutritional and health benefits. However, meat is a muscle-based food which has high water activity and can deteriorate rapidly under unsuitable conditions. Therefore, the methods, used to protect the meat, directly affect the storage process. One of the oldest methods used to protect the meat is drying. Not only shelf life of meat products is extended but also the water activity of meat and storage costs are reduced by drying. In antiquity was utilized the sun as a natural source of energy for drying. Today, especially the underdeveloped countries still continue to use this traditional production method. Drying under the sun is cheap and simple method but it has some disadvantages such as uncontrollability of climatic conditions rain, wind, etc. , requirements high labor, long time, large drying area and contamination insects, microorganisms, flies, etc. . Today, in developed countries, combined drying systems are used for meat drying. Thereby not only providing of the quality and standardization of products but also the prevention of contamination is ensured. Many different methods such as freeze drying, vacuum drying, drying with ultrasound, microwave drying, superheated steam drying and theirs combinations takes place both in the literature and technology. In this review, meat drying and microwave drying that is one of the drying methods are examined and literature studies is compiled in terms of efficiency of microwave drying method.

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