General fruit drying

☀️ Solar dryers for fruits and vegetables

An innovative solution for reducing food waste

A significant amount of second-class fruit and vegetables is thrown away in the Balkans. In order to reduce food waste and exploit this potential, we have developed several types of solar dryers – hybrid and electric.

In hybrid dryers, most of the energy needed for drying is provided by the sun through air solar collectors. Additional energy is provided by a photovoltaic system or directly from the electrical grid (ESM/EVN).

⚙️ How does the system work?

For a better understanding, it is important to know that there are three basic types of solar collectors:

For hot water

Photovoltaic panels (for electricity)

Air collectors (for hot air)

Our dryers use precisely air solar collectors. These collectors produce hot air and, through a system of air ducts, feed it directly into the dryer.

When there is not enough solar radiation, the process does not stop, but continues automatically with the help of built-in electric heaters. Air circulation in the system is carried out by fans that are precisely controlled by automation.

Important note: The drying technology is defined by the technologist. We provide and install the dryer, while the technological process itself is the responsibility of the buyer. The buyer should set up the machine and dry the product depending on the specific market requirements.

📐 Dryer capacity calculation

The capacity of a fruit dryer is expressed in two basic ways:

1. In square meters of trays (m²)

It is used when the dryer is designed to work with fixed frames or shelves.

It is useful if it is planned to dry different types of fruits with different densities, or if the user simply needs to know how much space will be occupied.

Example: “The dryer has a capacity of 10 m² of trays.”

2. In kilograms of raw fruit

This is a more accurate way for commercial purposes and to calculate production capacities.

The specific gravity of the fruit being dried and the degree of overcrowding of the trays are taken into account.

Example: “The dryer can process 500 kg of raw fruit per cycle.”

Best practice: Technical specifications should always state both parameters – the total square footage of the trays and the approximate capacity expressed in kilograms for specific types of fruit.

📊 Fruit distribution density (kg/m²)

For an accurate calculation of capacity based on the type of fruit, it must be taken into account that different types of fruit have different densities when stacked on trays.

Example density for some of the most common agricultural products:

🍎 Apples: 8 – 10 kg/m²

🍐 Pears: 7 – 9 kg/m²

🫐 Plums: 10 – 12 kg/m²

🍇 Grapes: 6 – 8 kg/m²

🌶️ Peppers: 5 – 7 kg/m²

🍑 Apricots: 7 – 8 kg/m²