Thin-layer modelling of sweet potato slices drying under naturally-ventilated warm air by solar-venturi dryer.

The drying of agricultural produce is an important food preservation measure. However, high energy requirements for drying, limited access to energy sources, small-medium scale farmers experience high post-harvest losses of their produce. Therefore, there is a need to develop and optimize low-cost food preservation technologies.

Performance evaluation of an indirect air cooling system combined with evaporative cooling.

This study developed an indirect air-cooling combined with evaporative cooling (IAC + EC) system for temporary storage of fruit and vegetables (FV) to improve the shelf life of fresh produce under hot and humid climatic conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of IAC + EC in providing optimum storage environment of temperature and relative humidity (RH) for the tomato fruit compared to storage under ambient conditions. The IAC + EC system had a 53-m storage chamber able to store 3.