Development of a Solar Dryer for Small-Scale Food Processors
Publication Date: 09/10/2020
Author(s): Oyedele O.A., Yusuf A., Adedeji M.A..
Volume/Issue: Volume 3 , Issue 3 (2020)
Abstract:
Drying has been widely applied as a preservative measure for agricultural and food products. The common method of open sun-drying can pose a danger to the spread of deadly diseases, such as Lassa fever. This study, therefore presents an innovative design, construction and preliminary testing of a forced air convection solar dryer. The dryer consisted of a solar collector and the drying chamber. The dryer was constructed using locally available materials, and at the workshop, level cost 184, 810.00 Naira. Under no-load, maximum temperatures of 52.200C were recorded at the solar collector unit and 48.600C were obtained in the drying chamber, top of tray four. The dryer was used to dry blanched yam chips (10 mm thickness). Results revealed that the chips were dried from an initial moisture content of 70 % to 12% (wet basis) in 13 hours (two days of drying). Under loading conditions, the average maximum drying temperature obtained in the collector unit and the dryer cabinet were 54.71 and 47.030C, respectively. The results of the preliminary test suggest that the dryer has some drying potential, making it suitable for small-scale food processors.
