NVSU researchers design portable electric dryer

BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya – Reduce fruit spoilage and realize profits by processing excess fruits into gainful by products with the help of a newly designed electric fruit dryer.

The designers of the new fruit dryer are Eustaquio B. Guzman, Frankie M. Ramos, and Jonathan Nuestro, researchers at the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU).

In a report to the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), the researchers said the dryer was fabricated using locally available materials. It looks like a cabinet with stainless steel trays inside the drying bin and a glass window to allow viewing of the products being dried without opening the doors. It is convertible from semi-permanent to roller type for easy transport and mobility.

To use the dryer, fruits are sliced then drained before loading in the bin. The dryer is preheated to 45 degrees Celsius. The exhaust pipe is opened for three hours and closed for the remaining hours to allow hot air to circulate inside the bin. A thermostat calibrated from zero degrees to 120 degrees is used to adjust the temperature.

NVSU researchers said drying tests for specific fruits showed differences in the dryer’s capacity. The highest capacity attained for the 12 trays placed inside the dryer was 30 kilograms for pineapple, 26 kilograms for "kondol," and 24 kilograms for "kamias" and mango.

At a drying temperature of 70 degrees and using a 1Ú4 horsepower motor running at 1,700 revolutions per minute (RPM), "kondol" had the least drying time of seven hours and pineapple had the longest drying period of 11 hours. At the same temperature and using the same motor running at 1,000 RPM, drying time for "kondol" was 7.5 hours and pineapple was 11.45 hours.

Power consumption was low. Pineapple drying consumed 11.2 kilowatt-hours; mango, 9.3 kilowatt-hours; "kondol," 7.1 kilowatt-hours; and "kamias," 9.2 kilowatt-hours.

 The dryer can also be used for vegetable processing. Food processor can operate it in the evening and even with heavy rainfall. The drying compartment of the machine is not affected by the temperature outside because of the thick insulators.

In 2003, the price of the solid stainless dryer was estimated at P57,000. The machine can be adapted for micro businesses, household consumption, training purposes of state universities, colleges, and other government agencies.

Nueva Vizcaya is known for its ‘carabao’ mango and other fruits like pineapple, "kondol," and "kamias." There are seasons when supply of these fruits exceeds the demand in the market. This compels farmers to lower the price rather than take the risk of leaving the fruits to rot. — Ofelia F. Domingo, S&T Media Service