EVALUATION OF SOLAR DRYER FOR DRYING OF WILD FRUITS GROWN IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
Loading...
Date
2017-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UHF,NAUNI
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present investigation entitled “Evaluation of solar dryer for drying of wild fruits
grown in Himachal Pradesh” was carried out at the experimental farm of Department of
Environmental science, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (H.P.)
during 2016-2017. Wild ber (Zizyphus mauriatiana L.), wild anola (Phyllanthus emblica L.) and wild
bael (Aegle marmelos L. Corr.) were selected for present study and pre treated for drying. There were
five treatments and three replications viz. untreated fruits dried in open sun (T1), treated fruits dried in
open sun (T2), treated fruits dried in indirect solar dryer (T3), untreated fruits dried in indirect solar
dryer (T4) and treated fruits dried in mechanical cabinet dryer (T5). Drying modes like mechanical
cabinet drier, indirect solar drier and open sun were compared on the basis of various physicochemical
and sensory quality characteristics. The ber, aonla flakes and bael slices from the best drying
mode (mechanical cabinet drier; 60 ± 20C) possessing maximum desirable physico-chemical
characteristics considered for shelf life analysis. Average drying time in open sun was 237.00 hours,
134.10 hours in solar dryer, and 22.23 hours in mechanical cabinet dryer. Average drying rate in open
sun was 0.35 gram per hour, 0.63 gram per hour in solar dryer and 4.32 gram per hour in mechanical
cabinet dryer. Average water activity of dried fruits was 0.364 in open sun, 0.327 in solar dryer and
0.276 in mechanical cabinet dryer. Cost of drying was minimum in indirect solar dryer for all fruits as
compared to mechanical cabinet dryer. Treated wild ber, wild aonla and wild bael slices dried in
indirect solar dryer (T3) were rated best among all drying modes on the basis of highest sensory scores
of colour (8.60), texture (8.40), taste (8.60) and overall acceptability (8.53) for wild ber, colour (8.60),
texture (8.40), taste (8.60) and overall acceptability (8.53) for aonla and colour (8.60), texture (8.40),
taste (8.60) and overall acceptability (8.53 for wild bael. The fruit dried in indirect solar dryer and
control (untreated fruits+ open sun) were packed in polyethylene pouches and stored for three months
under ambient storage conditions. The physicochemical characteristics like moisture, total soluble
solids, titratable acidity, pH, reducing sugars and total sugars were changed slightly.
Description
Keywords
null