Title: Quality profile of different vegetables dried using simple solar dryers

Authors: Arshad Ahmad Pal; Antonio L. Acedo Jr.

Addresses: World Vegetable Center, South Asia, ICRISAT Campus, Patancheru 502324, Hyderabad, Telangana, India ' Institute of Crop Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Abstract: Simple solar dryers with rotary chimney (SDR) and of tunnel type (SDT) with transparent polyethylene cover and black polyethylene cover (SDT-B) were tested in dehydrating tomato, onion, cabbage and spinach. Solar dryer temperatures increased by 5-15°C relative to that in open sun-drying. Tomatoes, onions, cabbage and spinach dried in 47, 44, 27 and 24 hours in SDR, respectively, and 51, 48, 31 and 28 hours in SDT, respectively, or 20-44 hours earlier than sun-drying. SDT-B took a longer time to dry cabbage and spinach than other solar dryers. Solar-dried onion and cabbage had high rehydration ratio. Colour (L*, a* and b*) of dried products was not affected except for SDT-B that maintained the green colour of spinach. However, vitamin C content as nutritional indicator decreased in the dried products. Future studies could look into techniques to minimise nutritional loss during solar drying of vegetables.

Keywords: vegetable dehydration; solar drying; shelf life extension.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPTI.2022.125890

International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation, 2022 Vol.8 No.4, pp.313 - 327

Accepted: 02 Mar 2022
Published online: 03 Oct 2022 *