Food that is dried to prevent microbial growth utilizes ionizing radiation. filtration. desiccation. lyophilization.

The answer is **desiccation**.<br /><br />Desiccation is the process of removing moisture or water from something. By removing the water necessary for microbial life, growth is inhibited or stopped. Drying food, whether through air drying, sun drying, or other methods, is a form of desiccation.<br /><br />While lyophilization (freeze-drying) also removes water, it's a more specialized form of desiccation, not the general term for drying. Ionizing radiation and filtration are separate methods of microbial control and not related to drying.<br />