Dried snack foods such as apple chips are a convenient alternative to fresh fruit, providing longer shelf life and easier storage. Consumers increasingly demand product variety, so companies coat such snack foods with fruit and vegetable powders to enhance taste and sensory appeal. A new study explores the drying process of coated and uncoated apple chips using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to measure moisture content in real time. NIR technology greatly enhances the speed and accuracy of measurements, the researchers say.