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A Review on Different Solar Dryers and Drying Techniques for Preservation of Agricultural Products

	International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development (IJSRED)	Full Text:
	Published Issue : Volume-3 Issue-6
	Year of Publication : 2020
	Unique Identification Number : IJSRED-V3I6P73
	Authors : Kaustav Bharadwaz
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Abstract :

To maintain the right balance between the supply and demand of food for growing human population, it is essential to reduce food item losses. Increasing the food production capabilities of small farmers in village areas of developing countries is difficult, but there is a scope to get more by reducing the post-harvest losses. Drying has become one of the crucial processing technique in the preservation of agricultural products and very useful even for small farmers to reduce the post harvest losses. Drying under open sunlight has a lot of drawbacks associated with it in the form of requirement of more space and time, infestation by the insects and microorganisms, interference by grazing animals and humans, rain, blowing wind, etc. Solar dryers are specialized devices that use energy from the sun for drying fruits, vegetables, meat and fishes etc. With the advancement in solar energy technology, it is possible to design low-cost environment friendly solar dryers for agricultural products and it is essential to promote such facility even at the village level not only to reduce the post harvest losses but also to preserve food items for longer without altering the quality. This paper discusses the different solar dryers and the drying techniques that are used primarily for agricultural products.