What food will the dryer be used for? Also, what quantities of food will be dried?
Grains, fruits, and vegetables require different drying techniques. Figure 9 shows a flow diagram that may be helpful in defining the type of design. The safe storage of the harvest is of prime concern to all. As soon as fresh fruits and vegetables have been prepared (i.e., some may need to be peeled, sliced, or blanched) for the drying process, they must be dried immediately. Grains, too, have only a limited time in which they must be dried to ensure their storage. Rice in the husk, for example, will begin to germinate within 48 hours if its moisture content is about 24 percent. Crops that must be dried immediately after they are harvested may require the use of portable dryers, which can be set up in the harvest field as needed. Permanent dryers can be erected near preparation areas for fruits and vegetables or centrally located for grain crops. Some foods may lose much of their nutritional value, or become discolored, if dried at too high a temperature or if exposed to the direct ra
