Closed flow solar dehydration with the use of silver nanoparticles: application for the production of Pouteria lucuma flour

Abstract

In this research, a closed-flow solar dehydrator with a refrigeration moisture extraction system was evaluated, likewise, the dehydration temperature time was optimized by evaluating three types of heat transfer fluids. The dehydration equipment included devices to absorb thermal energy from incident sunlight, such as a trombe wall and a parabolic cylindrical collector, and a thermo bank system. In addition, the influence of three types of heat transfer fluids (water, oil and oil nanofluid + silver nanoparticles) was evaluated. This dehydration system was applied to process the Pouteria lucuma fruit. The results indicate the reduction of the dehydration time by 58.19% using nanofluid. This treatment prevents the modification of the physicochemical properties of the product and helps preserving its organoleptic properties.