Solar Ddryers for Food Preservation: An In-Depth Review of Design, Fabrication and Barriers

Processing of food should adopt an energy efficient path such as renewable energy, instead of conventional energy intensified units. Solar energy is one such option, which is cost effective and energy efficient. But developing a cost-effective solar product with optimised design factors to produce premium quality food is bit challenging. The solar components are to be designed and selected to attest to maximum utilisation of solar energy and its conversion. The review is structured into five parts. The first part explores the different types and limitations of solar dryer, the second part focuses on various design and fabrication aspects of each and every component of a solar dryers, the third part focusses on selection criteria, fourth part elaborates on the environment, economic and social aspects of solar dryer and fifth part focusses on challenges and future prospects. SWOT analysis of various types of solar dryer is also presented in this work. Upgrading solar dryers with modern technologies for maximum efficiency with distributed production and feasibility of drying multiple food products, will yield higher payback. However, the quality of dried food, especially the aroma and nutrition value will significantly affect the revenue generation.