Design, development and experimental investigation of a solar tunnel dryer for drying mushroom Online publication date: Wed, 18-Feb-2015
by M.A. Basunia; M.A. Rabbani
International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation (IJPTI), Vol. 2, No. 3, 2011
Abstract: A solar tunnel dryer was designed and fabricated with locally available materials having the cross sectional area of the entire tunnel 5400 × 1700 mm. The half of the nearly air tight tunnel base was used as the flat plate air heating solar collector and the remaining half as a dryer. The drying air temperature could be easily raised by some 6-10°C above the ambient temperature at an air velocity of approximately 1.5 m/sec. The moisture content of 12.5 kg freshly harvested mushroom was reduced to 10% (wet-basis) within two days from the initial moisture content of 91.7% (wet-basis). The energy utilisation efficiency of the dryer was about 32.0%. It was possible to reach the moisture content level for safe storage within less than two days with solar tunnel dryer and 3-4 days in open air natural sun drying. The improvement in the quality of ear-lobe mushroom in terms of colour, flavour, and taste and food value was distinctly recognised.
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