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What is Solar Drying? using Chili as Case Study

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A surprising fact that there are so many foods can be sun-dried, it could be the most affordable and effective post-harvest solution.

One of the main problems in tropical areas is during harvesting time, rain is frequent and in consequence, the high relative humidity, poor insulation levels, and shortage of household labor, heavily constrain sun-drying harvest. This problem caused up to 22% of vegetables are being wasted as food loss, according to statistics from FAO.

Throughout the years, direct sun drying (traditional method) has evolved to more sophisticated solar drying technology, like the greenhouse solar dryer, which can be dried on par with expensive electrical oven drying.

The improvements in traditional methods have successfully:

  • Facilitate chili moisture levels for safe storage
  • Retain maximum quality of the chili
  • Give added value to the chili

The principles of the solar dryers are simple, uses the heat of the sun to dry chilies. Some expensive solar dryers like the greenhouse solar dryer that made of glass can dry large quantities day and night, throughout the year. To keep the temperature constant, the ventilator system controlled by the internet of things (IoT) cloud-based system, forces the warm air over the chilies to draw out the moisture faster.

Credit: Access Agriculture

By tapping the simple technology, farmers can earn good money by selling completely dried and hygienic chili products at local and international markets. Contact our professional engineers to get customised greenhouse solar dryer for your needs or join our private community Facebook Group.

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