APPLES (MALUS DOMESTICA) ARE THE SECOND MOST COMMONLY CONSUMED AND ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT FRUIT IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH 65% OF THE APPLE CROP CONSUMED AS FRESH FRUIT AND 35% AS PROCESSED APPLE PRODUCTS. IN ILLINOIS AND INDIANA, AS IN OTHER MIDWESTERN STATES, SMALL-SIZED AND MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE FARMERS FORM THE BACKBONE OF THE APPLE AGROINDUSTRY. THESE FARMS ARE FACING INCREASING CHALLENGES DUE TO COMPETITION FROM LARGE CO-OPS AND PROCESSORS, INCREASING IMPORTS, AND LOW FARM PRICES. THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES FACED BY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE FARMS EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR DEVELOPING NEW AND COST-EFFECTIVEVALUE-ADDED FRUIT PRODUCTS. PARALLEL TO THIS CHALLENGE, 60% OF THE AMERICAN CHILDREN AGES 2-18 DO NOT MEET FRUIT INTAKE RECOMMENDATIONS. THOSE AGES 5-18 ONLY TAKE IN 11.4% OF THE ADEQUATE USUAL INTAKE OF VITAMIN E, AND OVER 83% OF THEM DO NOT OBTAIN ENOUGH CALCIUM FROM THEIR DIET. A STRATEGY FOR INCREASING CHILDREN'S FRUIT INTAKE WHILE ADDRESSING THEIR VITAMIN E AND CALCIUM DEFICIENCIES WOULD BENEFIT BOTH APPLE FARMERS AND AMERICAN CHILDREN. THE PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO TACKLE THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES FACING SMALL-SIZED AND MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE FARMERS, AS WELL AS THE INSUFFICIENT FRUIT INTAKE ISSUE FACING AMERICANS, ESPECIALLY K-12 CHILDREN. THIS WILL BE DONE BY DEVELOPING NEW, LOW COST, AND EASY TO PERFORM FORTIFICATION PROCESSES TO PRODUCE NUTRIENT-RICH, CHILD-FRIENDLY DRIED APPLE CHIPS. THREE DEHYDRATION AND FORTIFICATION APPROACHES WILL BE PROPOSED, DEVELOPED, AND DEMONSTRATED THAT ARE NEW YET EASY TO IMPLEMENT FOR SMALL-SIZED AND MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE GROWERS. SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES WILL SUBSTANTIATE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE FARMS TO ADD A SUSTAINABLE REVENUE STREAM TO THEIR APPLE CROP, WHILE ALSO PROMOTING NUTRIENT-RICH FRUIT SNACKS FOR CHILDREN WHICH SHOULD HELP TO ADDRESS THE CURRENT DEFICIENCIES IN FRUIT INTAKE. THE ADOPTION OF VALUE-ADDED PROCESSING WILL ALSO HELP APPLE FARMS REDUCE FOOD LOSS BY UTILIZING WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE CULLED APPLES.