Fabrication and performance evaluation of a wooden cabinet dryer for value addition of fruits for micro-, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs)

Abstract

Dried fruits contribute immensely to breakfast menus and snacks for most people. A wooden cabinet dryer was fabricated and used to dry mango, pineapple and papaya to assist processors and micro-, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) gain economic advantage of dried fruits and reduce the high postharvest losses of fruits. The performance assessment of a wooden cabinet dryer was conducted to determine its effect on the weight of fruits (4.8–12.0 kg), yield (12.4–14.4%) and drying temperature (65°C) over a period of six to eight hours. Additionally, the efficiency (13.49–14.38%) of the wooden cabinet dryer was based on the full capacity load of the three fruits (40.0–50.0 kg), initial moisture content (82.60–84.20% w/b), final moisture (13.50– 15.80% w/b) and drying time (10–12 h). The proximate composition of the three fruits was observed for protein (2.8–3.9 g/100g), ash (1.9–3.4 g/100g), fat (0.2–4.3 g/100g), carbohydrate (90.9–92.4 g/100g) and energy (387.5–414.0 Kcal/100g). The drying efficiency of the wooden cabinet dryer was highest for drying pineapple among the three tropical fruits and has the potential of reducing the operational cost associated with processing dry fruits.