The reason I'm anti desiccation (apart from its association with aging!) is that the word desiccation is about drying out, but not strongly about anything else. It doesn't give you a picture of the specific thing.

A prune is a dried plum and not a dried anything else. The word has 'dried' and 'plum' inextricably tied up in its meaning. I don't see a thing in desiccation. Does that make sense?