Reengineering of an adiabatic tray dryer for small fruit and vegetable growers

Abstract

In the region where the Technological Institute of Ciudad Serdán is located, agricultural and fruit production predominates. A few years ago, tray drying equipment was designed and was widely used to give added value and extend the shelf life of farm products. such as apple, pear, peach, tejocote, nopal, chamomile, potato, carrot, epazote, chard among others, and the continuous use of the equipment came to exhaust its efficiency in many of its mechanical parts and it was no longer functional for drying products. of the field, through a diagnosis in the agricultural sector of the Serdán Valley region in its agricultural activity, it was detected that the marketing of fruits and vegetables is carried out fresh, which generates disadvantages such as low price due to a wide supply and a high index of intermediaries, in addition to the short shelf life of the product, which has an impact on the low level of income for producers, making agricultural activity increasingly less profitable. Producers in the region have approached the institution to support them in giving them that value. added and learn other alternative ways to preserve and market their seasonal products at any time of the year and be able to place them or cover other markets, the objective of this research work was to reengineer the tray dryer for the dehydration of fruits and vegetables as a technological alternative for small producers within the reach of their economic income and in this way implement a conservation method with the transfer of technology and in parallel the opportunity to access other markets at any time of the year.