Solar Food-Drying Machines

Enjoy solar dried fruits and vegetables as a healthy snack.

Solar food-drying machines come in different shapes, sizes and prices. They can be simple or complex. Functional, user-friendly machines have, at minimum, features that allow for the quick drying of food, protection against pests and contaminates while the food is in the drying process and easy clean-up.

Benefits

Food dried in solar machines is a nutritious alternative to fresh food.

The use of solar food-drying machines has multiple benefits. Because solar food-drying machines harness solar power, they are economical alternatives to electric drying machines. By storing solar-dehydrated food, waste is minimized and the products can be enjoyed even when the food is out-of-season. A wide variety of foods can be dehydrated with solar drying machines. The food can be enjoyed in either a dehydrated or rehydrated form.

Types

Make beef jerky with a solar food-drying machine.

Solar food-drying machines may be homemade or purchased. Purchased machines range in price from about $15 to more than $5,000. The machines can be built on a small or large scale. The tent dryer, the cabinet dryer and the tunnel dryer are three common styles of solar food-drying machines. Despite their different sizes and shapes, all solar food-drying machines have the same basic components and use the same general process to dry food.

Process

Solar food-drying machines are wooden boxes with glass tops. Food is placed on screened trays. These trays, which may be arranged in tiers, are often painted black in order to heighten solar-heat absorption. Circulating air enters the drying chamber of the machine through a solar collector, via natural convection or with the assistance of a fan. The air heats as it is drawn through the solar collector into the interior, draws moisture out of the food and exits the machine.

Products

Solar food-drying machines are most commonly used to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and grain. Some dairy operations use solar food-drying machines to produce milk powder. Food dried in solar machines retain the majority of their nutritional value. Solar food-drying machines can be used to produce dried foods in quantities appropriate for personal use or in mass quantities for retail sales.

References

• S.S.R.s.i. Survival & Self-Reliance: Drying and Dehydrating Foods
• "Leonardo Journal of Sciences"; Design and Construction of a Domestic Passive Solar Food Dryer; Oguntola J. Alamu, et al.
• 'Mother Earth News"; Build a Solar Food Dehydrator; Eben Fodor; August/September 2006
• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority: NYSERDA's Introduction to Solar Energy Applications for Agriculture
• "Infogate"; Solar Drying Technology for Food Preservation; Matthew G. Green, et al.; August 2001