Development and performance test of an innovative solar derived intermittent microwave convective food dryer

Abstract

Drying is one of the oldest food preservation techniques associated simultaneous heat and mass transfer in order to extend the shelf-life of food materials. However, it is an energy intensive process and consumes about 20-25% of the energy used in the food processing industries. Developing of innovative drying system such as intermittent convective microwave (IMC) and utilization of renewable energy like solar energy in drying can be the potential solution of minimizing consumption of conventional energy in drying process. In this study, an innovative solar energy driven IMC dryer has been designed and fabricated. In addition to this, the effectiveness of this dryer over conventional drying process has been performed. Overall, the developed renewable energy based IMC drying shows better performance in energy consumption and quality aspect of the finish food product.