Current Status of Grain Drying Technology and Equipment Development: A Review

Grain drying technology is a core process for ensuring food quality, extending storage life, and improving processing adaptability. With the continuous growth of global food demand and the increasing requirements for food quality and energy efficiency, traditional drying technologies face multiple challenges. This paper reviews six major grain drying technologies, comprising hot air drying, microwave drying, infrared drying, freeze drying, vacuum drying, and solar drying. It provides an in-depth discussion of the working principles, advantages, and limitations of each technology, and analyzes their performance in practical applications. In response to challenges such as high energy consumption, uneven drying, and quality loss during the drying process, the paper also explores the research progress of several hybrid drying systems, such as microwave–hot air drying combined systems and solar–infrared drying systems. Although these emerging technologies show significant potential in improving drying efficiency, energy saving, and maintaining food quality, their high costs, scalability, and process stability still limit large-scale applications. Therefore, future research should focus on reducing energy consumption, improving drying precision, and optimizing drying system integration, particularly by introducing intelligent control systems. This would maximize the preservation of food quality while improving the system’s economic efficiency and sustainability, promoting innovation in food production and processing technologies, and further advancing global food security and sustainable agricultural development.