Ron Alexander writes about a study conducted to compare countertop food dehydrators to commercial composting of food scraps:
A recent study processed a consistent mixture of food scraps in different electric food scrap processing appliances, then through analysis of the output product, attempted to determine the extent to which the composting process or biological degradation had occurred, and whether or not the output product could be classified as “compost.” Further, it aimed to determine if the addition of the microbial “accelerator” inoculants used by some of these units significantly affects the characteristics of the processed food scraps.
Numerous food scrap processing appliances have entered the market over the past several years. Although the specific process (times, temperatures, moisture content, modes, etc.) varies from appliance to appliance, they can all generally be characterized as residential food scrap dehydrators, since they dry and grind the scraps added to them. Some of these appliances are marketed as “electric kitchen composters,” although the somewhat lengthy period of biological decomposition, characteristic of the composting process, does not occur within these units. Some appliance vendors provide users with microbial additives to combine with the food scraps at the start of a processing cycle, to attempt to speed up biodegradation or biologic stabilization of the organic matter. Historical data suggests that it may be impossible to drive the composting process to completion in under a few weeks (even in optimal conditions), thus there is scrutiny around whether a “compost” product could be produced during these units’ short processing cycles and under the harsh conditions of heating and drying.
