ABSTRACT
Elephant apple, a fruit with numerous bioactive compounds, is rich in therapeutic qualities. However, its use in processed products is limited due to insufficient postharvest processing methods. To address this issue, an automatic core cutter (ACC) was developed to handle the hard nature of the fruit while cutting. The physical characteristics of the elephant apple were considered for designing and development of the cutter. The cutter is divided into four main sections, including a frame, collecting tray, movable coring unit, and cutting base with five fruit holders. The parts that directly contact the fruit are made of food-grade stainless steel. The efficiency of the cutter was analyzed based on cutting/coring capacity, machine efficiency, loss percentage, and other factors, and was compared to traditional cutting methods (TCM) and a foot-operated core cutter (FOCC). The ACC had an average cutting/coring capacity of 270-300 kg/h, which was significantly higher than TCM's capacity of 12-15 kg/h and comparable to FOCC's capacity of 115-130 kg/h. The ACC offered a higher sepal yield of 85.68 ± 1.80% compared to TCM's yield of 65.76 ± 1.35%, which was equivalent to the yield obtained by FOCC. Therefore, the ACC outperforms TCM in terms of quality, quantity, and stress associated and is superior to FOCC in terms of higher efficiency of machine and labor.
ABSTRACT
Food product drying is a crucial stage in the preservation of crops and agricultural by-products that are used as raw materials for numerous end applications. The novelty of the study is the application of a phase change material in a solar dryer to improve the effectiveness of drying and reducing the overall drying period for drying while retaining/improving the quality parameters of the dried dhekia (Diplazium esculentum). The modified indirect thermal storage integrated solar dryer made up of a single-pass solar collector is attached with the drying chamber of 16.5 kg capacity. A thermal energy storage system prepared with paraffin wax embedded inside the drying cabinet was used. The proposed solar dryer has a thermal efficiency that is 11 ± 0.2% greater than the conventionally constructed solar dryer and reduces drying time by 40 ± 2.1%. Drying kinetic analysis of dhekia was performed, and two new drying kinetic models were proposed to predict moisture ratio. From statistical analysis, it was found that the chi square value and root mean square error value fits well for the proposed models. The anti-oxidant, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content values of samples dried in solar dryer exhibit better results compared to fresh, tray dried, and open sun-dried samples. The developed dryer shows better results in saving drying time and quality of the product. Due to its affordability and long-term solution for drying fresh farm goods, this dryer can be very helpful to small-scale farmers.
Subject(s)
Ferns , Tracheophyta , Kinetics , Desiccation/methods , Sunlight , AntioxidantsABSTRACT
Elephant apple (Dillenia indica L.) grows wild in Southeast Asia's forests, including in China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Elephant apples are considered essential fruit crops because of their high nutritional value, which includes high levels of vitamin C, carbohydrates, fats, fibre, protein, minerals, and fatty acids. It is important to understand the nutritional value and health benefits of elephant apples in order to increase fruit intake in people's daily diets. The present review paper focuses on elephant apple's phytochemistry, bioactive compounds, therapeutic value, and medicinal capabilities for designing and developing a wide range of food formulations. Proteins, minerals, fats, crude fibre, carbohydrates, vitamin C, tannins, malic acid, and glucose are abundant in the leaves, bark, and fruit of the elephant apple. In addition to nutritional components, many phytochemicals found in elephant apples have been identified as bioactive compounds with a broad range of biological activities, the most prominent of which are antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Overall, elephant apple is a rich, natural source of bioactive compounds with potential applications in the production of value-added foods and nutraceuticals for disease prevention and management.
