DRYING OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas) (CHIPPED AND GRATED) FOR QUALITY FLOUR USING LOCALLY CONSTRUCTED SOLAR DRYERS

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Seidu, J. M. Kwenin, W. K. J. Tevor, W. J. Mahama, Anthony Assibi Agbeven, J.
Copyright Year	2012
Abstract	A study was conducted on the suitability of processing sweet potato tubers into chips using locally constructed solar panels within the semi forest and the transitional climatic zone of Ghana. The study was done during the months of November, 2010 and January, 2011 and seven designed solar panels were used. The panels were constructed using hard wood, binding materials (nails), chicken mesh, nylon net and black and white polythene sheets. The cassava tuber was first thoroughly washed, peeled and chopped into 20mm by 10mm as T1 and the grated tubers as T2. Sixty kilogram of each type was dried in each panel. Data variations in the panels resulted from the type of polythene sheet used (black lining, white or a combination of the black and white). Drying was observed to be faster in the panels with their drying platforms covered with the chicken mesh and nylon net (5 and 6 days) than those with their drying platform lined with the black polythene sheets (2 and 3 days) for October, 2010 and January, 2011 respectively. The chips dried on the chicken mesh and nylon drying platforms looked whiter and more appealing to the eye than those dried on the black polythene sheet platform due to moisture condensation that encouraged mould growth before drying. The open air dried cassava appeared darker since the sweet potato got mouldy before drying. The dried products stored for 12 months in poly sacks lined with plastic sheet still retained their original appearance (white or grey). The least significant difference (LSD) was used to separate the means when the data was subjected to statistical analysis. It is therefore recommended that Panels A, C, E, F and G should be used to dry the grated and chipped sweet potato during both the rainy and dry seasons since it took 6 days and 2 days respectively to dry the product of better quality (whiter) and without any mould infestation during the two sessions (November, 2010 and January,2011).With the result obtained processing cassava into quality chips will not only reduce postharvest losses but will also enable the rural farmers produce quality chips to earn more income and improve upon their standard of living.
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Alternate Webpage(s)	http://www.arpnjournals.com/jabs/research_papers/rp_2012/jabs_0612_419.pdf
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article