BT seminarium

A seminar by Ricardo Bernardo, Lund University, Division of Energy and Building Design

Enough food is grown in many low-income countries to satisfy the needs of the population. Despite this, many people still go hungry. One reason for this is because large amounts of fruit ripen during a very short period, which means that much of the uneaten fruit spoils before reaching the end consumers. In Mozambique, post-harvest losses are estimated to be 25-40%, with this estimate only accounting for harvested fruits. Since some fruits are never harvested, the total amount of spoiled fruit would be even greater. Canning and aseptic processing are two options for preservation, but they are often not feasible unless carried out on a large scale. Several studies have identified the need for a simple and affordable fruit processing technology that can safely preserve fruits close to the harvest point when the fruit is ripe. Solar dryers that can be used at large scale for a large variety of agricultural products could greatly benefit small and marginal farmers. In this presentation we will show the development and evaluation of solar dryers and semi-permeable membrane pouches for drying juicy fruits in low-income tropical countries.