Air drying plant and method for air drying cut-up food

An air-drying method for air drying cut-up food, said method being applied by means of a plant including:

• a conveyor (10) for cut-up food (1) defining a conveying surface (11) and a conveyance;
• a plurality of blowing conduits (20) including blowing openings (21) channeling a treated airflow with a temperature comprised between 4° C. and 60° C. and a controlled humidity;
• the method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps:
• a) feeding cut-up food (1) to said conveying surface (11) of the conveyor (10);
• b) conveying, by an operation of the mentioned conveyor (10), said cut-up food (1) to an air treatment segment (12) facing said blowing openings (21), said cut-up food (1) being arranged facing said blowing openings (21) of said blowing conduits (20);
• c) subjecting said cut-up food (1) to a drying treatment by said treated airflow directed against said conveying surface (11) of the air treatment segments (12) at a speed of treatment, directly affecting the cut-up food (1) for a drying time, causing moisture reduction in an outermost layer of said cut-up food (1);
• d) conveying, by an operation of the mentioned conveyor (10), said cut-up food (1) to an idle segment of the conveyor (10), said cut-up food (1) being exposed to a surrounding air lacking an airflow directed against said conveying surface for an idle time, causing rehydration of the outermost layer of the cut-up food with an internal moisture of the cut-up food, tending to achieve a homogeneous moisture in the cut-up food as a whole;
• e) repeating steps b), c) and d) cyclically, along a succession of a plurality of air treatment segments (12) and idle segments (13) that are intercalated, until achieving specific drying of the cut-up food (1).