The processing and preservation of figs in the Chilean agroindustry faces logistical challenges that impact medium-sized producers and agricultural cooperatives. Traditionally, moisture reduction in harvests has been addressed by two methodologies that are inefficient for current marketing standards. The practice of direct sun exposure in open fields requires weeks of continuous processing, leaving the organic biomass vulnerable to contamination by biological vectors, accumulation of environmental dust, and qualitative degradation of tissues caused by ultraviolet radiation. On the other hand, the segment of the agroindustry that has achieved a higher degree of technical sophistication has for decades relied on conventional ovens and dryers powered by the combustion of liquefied gas or diesel. This thermomechanical alternative represents a variable financial burden due to the monthly consumption of hydrocarbons required to forcibly evaporate water, reducing local producers' profit margins in a competitive global market.
Given these limitations, indirect solar thermal drying technology emerges as a technical alternative, whose innovation lies in the architectural and aerodynamic integration of collection systems into closed, controllable modules that use solar radiation as the primary heat source. Unlike open-air exposure, this mechanism operates by isolating the product and capturing solar radiation through the installation of hermetic collectors whose purpose is to heat fresh air from outside. In physics and thermodynamics, enthalpy is a quantity that represents the amount of energy a system can exchange with its surroundings. As it flows through the solar collectors, the air experiences an increase in its thermal enthalpy and a drop in its relative humidity, then being channeled into a sealed chamber where the figs rest. For the specific case of this fruit, which has a high initial moisture content of between seventy-eight and eighty-two percent, the system allows heat to be injected while maintaining a controlled drying temperature of between thirty-five and fifty-five degrees Celsius. Maintaining the temperature stabilized within this range is an indispensable technical requirement to avoid burning the pulp and preserve the natural sugars, antioxidants, and final texture required in dried fruit markets.
The adoption of these modular active solar drying systems offers a solution to the logistical challenge of the rural fruit sector: the transportation of fresh biomass. Newly harvested figs are heavy and bulky due to their water retention, making their transport from rural farms to centralized agro-industrial plants logistically complex and costly. By opting for standardized solar drying chambers to process the load at the point of origin, cooperatives gain the ability to decentralize the primary processing phase. The reduction of fruit weight and volume at the cultivation site decreases the need to hire logistics transport and prevents biomass from suffering bacterial decomposition or mechanical damage during road journeys. Additionally, operational energy costs are reduced by eliminating the continuous consumption of hydrocarbons, with the option of incorporating photovoltaic panels to power extraction motors in geographical areas without electrification.
References
Castillo Arroyo, M. (s.f.). Cálculo de las entalpías del sólido para el balance de energía. Scribd.(https://es.scribd.com/document/496324048/CALCULO-DE-LAS-ENTALPIAS-DEL-SOLIDO-PARA-EL-BALANCE-DE-ENERGIA)
Espinoza S., J. (2016). Innovación en el deshidratado solar. Ingeniare. Revista Chilena de Ingeniería, 24(Especial), 72-80. Universidad de Tarapacá. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/772/77246913010.pdf
My-Dryer. (2023). Commercial Grade Fig Drying Machine. My-Dryer Equipment. https://www.my-dryer.com/es/470-commercial-grade-fig-drying-machine-multi-purpose-food-dehydrator-for-fruits-vegetables-and-herbs/
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