This thesis examined the effect of fruit slice thickness on the freeze-drying process. The freeze-drying process was carried out on four types of fruit, with each fruit prepared in three different slice thicknesses: 3 mm, 6 mm, and 10 mm. Identical drying conditions were applied to all fruit samples, enabling a direct comparison of the effect of slice thickness on moisture content during freeze-drying. Following the freeze-drying process, the fruit samples underwent additional drying in a vacuum dryer to remove residual moisture. The samples were weighed before and after freeze-drying, as well as after the vacuum drying stage. Based on the measured masses, the amount of moisture removed was determined for both the freeze-drying and the subsequent vacuum drying phases. The results indicated that slice thickness influences the efficiency of water removal; a greater amount of water was removed during freeze-drying from thinner fruit slices than from thicker ones.
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