Modification of existing low cost solar bed technology for safe storage of spices and flours
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Date
2010
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Publisher
CCSHAU
Abstract
The study was conducted in two phases. In phase-I, the baseline survey was carried out to
study the existing practices of storing spices (turmeric, red chilli and coriander) and flours (semolina,
gram flour and refined flour). In IInd phase, experiments were conducted to compare the different
practices of storage in terms of infestation and to modify the existing low cost solar technology for safe
storage of spices and flours.
Under phase- I, Hisar district of Haryana state was selected purposively. Mangali and Harita
villages of Hisar I block and II block were selected purposively due to easy accessibility of the
respondents. A sample of 50 respondents from each village were taken, thus to make a total sample of
100 respondents. Data were collected personally with the help of well structured interview schedule.
Findings revealed that majority of the respondents had farming as family occupation, very less percent
were growing grams and spices on own field. Out of the respondents who powdered spices and flours
at home, majority were giving sun exposure before storage while respondents who purchased spices
and flours in powdered form, a small fraction exposed spices and flours before storage. Majority of the
respondents used cloth for sun exposure and plastic containers for storage. In phase-II the experiments
were conducted to test the efficiency of three types of storage practices viz., stored directly after
purchase, stored after open exposure and stored after exposure in solar bed. The experiments were
conducted for half an hour (12:00 to 12:30 pm) in open area of the laboratory of Department of Family
Resource Management, College of Home Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Nine
samples of ½ kg of each spice (turmeric, red chilli, coriander) and flour (semolina, gram flour and
refined flour) were taken for 3 treatments. Each treatment was replicated thrice. Moisture of each
sample was recorded before storage, after exposure to sun and after every month for successive 3
months. To modify the solar bed, different thicknesses of polythene was used for conducting
experiments. Findings reveal that temperature in solar bed was significantly higher than open exposure
and direct storage and due to the high temperature, moisture content in spices and flours was lower
when exposed in solar bed in comparison to open exposure and direct storage. No infestation was
found in spices and flours which were stored after exposure in solar bed. Study unveiled that
temperature in case of solar bed with more gauge of polythene was raised to higher degree and insects
were killed in less time in comparison to solar bed with lesser polythene gauge. This was because black
sheet of solar bed is good absorber of heat.