Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying

Maize is an important staple in Africa, which necessitates immediate drying to preserve the postharvest quality. The traditional drying of maize in the open sun is prone to adverse weather and extraneous contamination. In this study, the drying performance of an inflatable solar dryer (ISD) was comp...

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Main Authors: Ntwali, Janvier, Schock, Steffen, Romuli, Sebastian, Chege, Christine G. Kiria, Banadda, Noble, Aseru, Gloria, Müller, Joachim
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: MDPI 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114585
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author Ntwali, Janvier
Schock, Steffen
Romuli, Sebastian
Chege, Christine G. Kiria
Banadda, Noble
Aseru, Gloria
Müller, Joachim
author_browse Aseru, Gloria
Banadda, Noble
Chege, Christine G. Kiria
Müller, Joachim
Ntwali, Janvier
Romuli, Sebastian
Schock, Steffen
author_facet Ntwali, Janvier
Schock, Steffen
Romuli, Sebastian
Chege, Christine G. Kiria
Banadda, Noble
Aseru, Gloria
Müller, Joachim
author_sort Ntwali, Janvier
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Maize is an important staple in Africa, which necessitates immediate drying to preserve the postharvest quality. The traditional drying of maize in the open sun is prone to adverse weather and extraneous contamination. In this study, the drying performance of an inflatable solar dryer (ISD) was compared to direct sun drying (DSD) in Gombe Town, Wakiso District (Uganda) by analysing the moisture content, yeasts, moulds, aflatoxin, and colour. The maximum temperature inside the ISD reached 63.7 °C and averaged 7 °C higher than the ambient temperature. Maize was dried using both methods to a moisture content below 14% after two days. In one of the received maize lots that was already heavily contaminated after harvest, drying with DSD and ISD reduced the aflatoxin content from 569.6 μg kg−1 to 345.5 μg kg−1 and 299.2 μg kg−1, respectively. Although the drying performance in terms of drying time and product quality regarding colour, yeast, and mould was similar for both drying methods, the advantage of ISD in reducing the risk of spoilage due to sudden rain is obvious. A strategy for the early detection of aflatoxins in maize is recommended to avoid contaminated maize in the food chain.
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spelling CGSpace1145852025-11-11T17:38:47Z Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying Ntwali, Janvier Schock, Steffen Romuli, Sebastian Chege, Christine G. Kiria Banadda, Noble Aseru, Gloria Müller, Joachim handling postharvest technology drying food safety renewable energy manipulación tecnología postcosecha secado Maize is an important staple in Africa, which necessitates immediate drying to preserve the postharvest quality. The traditional drying of maize in the open sun is prone to adverse weather and extraneous contamination. In this study, the drying performance of an inflatable solar dryer (ISD) was compared to direct sun drying (DSD) in Gombe Town, Wakiso District (Uganda) by analysing the moisture content, yeasts, moulds, aflatoxin, and colour. The maximum temperature inside the ISD reached 63.7 °C and averaged 7 °C higher than the ambient temperature. Maize was dried using both methods to a moisture content below 14% after two days. In one of the received maize lots that was already heavily contaminated after harvest, drying with DSD and ISD reduced the aflatoxin content from 569.6 μg kg−1 to 345.5 μg kg−1 and 299.2 μg kg−1, respectively. Although the drying performance in terms of drying time and product quality regarding colour, yeast, and mould was similar for both drying methods, the advantage of ISD in reducing the risk of spoilage due to sudden rain is obvious. A strategy for the early detection of aflatoxins in maize is recommended to avoid contaminated maize in the food chain. 2021-07-30 2021-08-06T06:56:17Z 2021-08-06T06:56:17Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114585 en Open Access application/pdf MDPI Ntwali, J.; Schock, S.; Romuli, S.; Chege, C.G.K.; Banadda, N.; Aseru, G.; Müller, J. (2021) Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying. Applied Science 11(15): 7074. ISSN: 2076-3417
spellingShingle handling
postharvest technology
drying
food safety
renewable energy
manipulación
tecnología postcosecha
secado
Ntwali, Janvier
Schock, Steffen
Romuli, Sebastian
Chege, Christine G. Kiria
Banadda, Noble
Aseru, Gloria
Müller, Joachim
Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title_full Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title_fullStr Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title_full_unstemmed Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title_short Performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
title_sort performance evaluation of an inflatable solar dryer for maize and the effect on product quality compared with direct sun drying
topic handling
postharvest technology
drying
food safety
renewable energy
manipulación
tecnología postcosecha
secado
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114585
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