Introduction to Solar Drying

What is a Convection Solar Dryer?

• A convection solar dryer is an agri-tech tool which can reduce moisture in food by 70-85% to increase the shelf life of products up to one year
• The solar dryer further ensures the hygienic processing of goods
• It can be used as a tool to reduce post-harvest losses, especially for crops that are harvested only once a year

Introduction to Dehydration

• The process of dehydration is the removal of water from food products by heat, to stop food from spoiling.
• Fresh products have a water content of 70-95% which allows for high water activity causing the deterioration of food. The convection solar dryer can reduce these levels to 5-15%. Depending on the product, foods dried at this level are free from microbial activity and reactions.
• Food dehydration thus increases the shelf life of agricultural products, mitigates seasonality change, stabilises sales, increase margins and create new employment