Concentrated solar drying of tomatoes

Fruits and vegetables are an integral part of the human diet. Many developing countries such as Tanzania experience post-harvest losses of 40%, and there is little ability to preserve and store foods for off-season consumption due to expensive or unreliable energy and a lack of access to refrigeration. Alternatively, fruits and vegetables can be dehydrated using solar crop dryers. Because many developing countries are in tropical regions, properly dehydrating fruits and vegetables to moisture levels appropriate for storage and off-season consumption can be difficult. In an attempt to overcome the challenges of the high humidity, intermittent clouds, and haze often present in tropical climates, the paper by Blake Ringeisen, Diane M. Barrett, and Pieter Stroeve investigates the effectiveness of adding a concave solar concentrator built from low-cost, locally available materials. The concentrator proved (left in the picture) to be effective, reducing drying time by 21% in addition to increasing internal dryer temperature and reducing relative humidity. The full article is available HERE, in the free postharvest resource library of UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center. SourceNews from the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center, April 2014 QuoteRingeisen, B., D.M. Barrett, P. Stroeve, Concentrated solar drying of tomatoes. Energy for Sustainable Development 19 (2014) 47-55. ?