No abstract

The drying of food products is an essential step in the preservation ofcrops and agricultural by-products that serve as raw materials for numerous end applications. Solar drying with Phase Change Material (PCM) is an efficient low-energy consumption processin the post-reapingstage, reducing food deterioration. A customized solar dryer setup was assembled usingCudappah (black) stones as the baseof the drying chamber to facilitate the absorption of solar energy on its surface. Theorganic paraffin wax, with a melting point of 60℃,was used as PCM in the solar dryer. The novelty of the study is the application of a PCMin asolar dryer to improve the effectiveness of drying and decrease the absolute drying period and the microbial content in the dried food products. The study compared the drying characteristics between open sun drying, solar dryingwithout and with PCM (100 and 200 grams). The fabricated setup was utilised for drying coconut using a PCM-based solar drying method.The coconut was dried from an initial moisture content of 55.5% to a final moisture content of about 9%. The prototype dryer modelminimized the use ofthe workforce,avoided improper drying,and decreased the absolute drying time. A Total Plate Count (TPC) test was conducted to characterize the microbial content in the dried coconut.The microbial count decreased with the use of 200 g PCM as the use of PCM retained the heat for a longer time in the chamber. The drying time of the coconut was decreased by about 28 and 52 hours by installing of about 100 and 200g of PCM respectively. The drying time of the coconut decreased with an increase in the amount of PCM in the solar dryer. The sensory characteristics like colour, taste, flavour, quality, and texture of the solar-dried coconut sample were superiorto the sun-dried coconut sample.