Preface to the Second edition The first edition of PRACTICaL DEhYDRatION, published in 1971 was written primarily for the practical dehydrator, rather than for the chemist or theorist, whose interest in the industry might be more abstract or purely scientific The text tended to concentrate on a range of products likely to be grown and processed in locations where, in the main, moderate equable limates prevailed- predominately Western Europe Also, the scale of operation hypothesised that a plant, arguably of medium size, might be viable with an input of 70-80 tonnes of raw produce per 24hr day, or 20,000 tonnes per annum, assuming a 250 day season. Such figures were based on the author's Practical experience in the technical management of three UK plants of this size, all owned by one of the first companies in Great Britain to engage in vegetable dehydration. These operations started in Wisbech in 1934, with six further factories developing during the 1939-1945 war years, producing dehydrates for the Armed Services. The companys products are still on the domestic and export market today, after more than half a centurys growth in what was initially a war- time industry Production today is centralised in one factory. However, radical changes have occurred in marketing dehydrates in the last two decades, and there has been almost a complete change in the end usage of dehydrated products, and a decline in the number of factories engaged in vegetable drying in the United Kingdom.Preface to the Second Edition The first edition of PRACTICAL DEHYDRATION, published in 1971, was written primarily for the practical dehydrator, rather than for the chemist or theorist, whose interest in the industry might be more abstract or purely scientific. The text tended to concentrate on a range of products likely to be grown and processed in locations where, in the main, moderate equable climates prevailed - predominately Western Europe. Also, the scale of operation hypothesised that a plant, arguably of ’medium’ size, might be viable with an input of 70-80 tonnes of raw produce per 24hr day, or 20,000 tonnes per annum, assuming a 250 day season. Such figures were based on the author’s practical experience in the technical management of three UK plants of this size, all owned by one of the first companies in Great Britain to engage in vegetable dehydration. These operations started in Wisbech in 1934, with six further factories developing during the 1939-1945 war years, prodccing dehydrates for the Armed Services. The company’s products are still on the domestic and export market today, after more than half a century‘s growth in what was initially a war￾time industry. Production today is centraliscd in one factory. However, radical changes have occurred in marketing dehydrates in the last two decades, and there has been almost a complete change in the end usage of dehydrated products, and a decline in the number of factories engaged in vegetable drying in the United Kingdom. I