Solar food processing

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Solar food processing is an innovative and multi-faceted technique capable of addressing various problems faced by people in the developing world. The use of solar energy for food processing and conservation using solar energy can indirectly help to reduce poverty, improve health conditions, create sustainable local economic opportunities, and limit environmental damage by promoting the use of clean and renewable energy sources.

The benefits of solar food processing include:

• Conservation of fruits and vegetables (see Canning and Drying)
• Drying crops (see Solar food drying)
• Roasting different kind of nuts
• Pasteurizing water, juice, fruits and vegetables (see Water pasteurization)
• Baking bread and cake (see Solar restaurants and bakeries)
• Improvement in the quality of food
• Creation of local jobs and income (see Business development)
• Reduced CO₂ emissions and environmental preservation (see United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)
• Involvement of local personnel and local resources
• Creation of new markets and encouragement of economic competition in this field

[Text for this topic was taken from Solar Food Processing - Network and Support - Rolf Behringer]

News[]

• March 2023: Solar Foods located in Sudan, is providing farmers with a way to extend the profitability of their harvests with solar food processing

• February 2022: CONSOLFOOD 2022 videos - With many solar food drying and processing topics being covered, watch on-demand videos of all CONSOLFOOD 2022 presentations

• November 2021: Solar coffee roasting - Two engineers in Rome, Italy, Antonio Durbe and Daniele Tummei, have created an environmentally friendly way to roast coffee beans without electricity or gas. They have spent almost six years building and perfecting their sunlight coffee roaster. The result is a system that needs a piece of land about the size of half a tennis court and sunny weather to roast up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of coffee an hour. Read more...

• December 2019: New food processing company in Sudan  - Solar Foods was established in 2017 by Dr. Alaa Hamadto to bring solar-dried foods to the marketplace, using solar dryers from her father's company, Solar Energy Enterprises.

• June 2016: Aavin steps up production of with solar milk pasteurization - Aavin is the latest government agency to harness solar thermal energy for its daily operations in India. The hundreds of curved mirrors in two structures generate steam to pasteurize nearly one lakh(100,000) liters of milk a day. Read more...

• May 2016: India's first solar food processing facility - It was acknowledged at CONSOLFOOD 2016 that Tapi Food Products began their solar food processing in 2007 with a Scheffler solar parabolic to steam system. They currently employee 250 people and process 1000 kg.(2,200 lbs.)/day of fruit jams and candies.

• April 2016: Solar processing food waste  - Avery Goho, student and inventor, and Gustavo Lascano, Animal and Veterinary Sciences faculty member at Clemson University, South Carolina, USA, are developing a solar box oven system to dry restaurant and grocery store produce waste, and recycle it locally to farmers for animal feed. More information...

• January 2013: The Solar Food Processing Network meets to discuss international standards - The Solar Food Processing Network (SFPN) held a regional workshop in January 2013 at the Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. This gathering was a follow-up to the 2009 AFPN conference held in Indore, India in 2010. Workshop participants heard from food marketing and technology experts. Conference organizers, Deepak Gadhia and Rolf Behringer held discussions on local and international marketing, village industries, packaging, policy interventions, R&D, and effective monitoring and evaluation of projects. Attendees discussed the formation of an international solar food standard and shared their own practical experiences using solar technology for food processing. Visit the Solar Food Processing Network to see a muscial video of the event and videos of solar food processing projects in Burkina Faso.

Solar food dryers for purchase, or with construction plans[]

• Solar food dryers

Articles in the media[]

• February 2019: Vocational Training On Preservation Of Fruits And Vegetables Concludes At Krishi Vigyan Kendra Fatehgarh Sahib - 5 Dariya News

Documents[]

• January 2018: Simulation of a Solar Assisted Counterflow Tunnel Dehydrator (Paper) - A. Carrillo-Andrés
• January 2018: Introduction of Solar Drying by NGO Narmada in Nimar Region of Madhya Pradesh State of India Under the Guidance of Barc, Goi (Paper) - Raghav Deosthale, et al
• January 2018: DryEcoMate – An Horticultural Dehydrator, Using Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Energy, Low Cost Production, Modular and Portable (Slides, Paper) - J. Garcia, et al
• January 2018: Development of Solar Dryers, Cuban Experience for Food Preservation (Slides, Abstract) - Boris A. Zaldívar Núñez, et al
• January 2018: Concentrated Solar Thermal Integration into Spice Roasting Industry: An Energy Analysis of an Indian Masala Manufacturing Facility (Slides, Paper) - Tavish Fenbert
• January 2017: Production of Solar Processed Food in Search Alternatives in Nutrition, Conversation, Diversification and Valorisation of Resources in Oaxaca Mexico - Victoria Aguilera Velazco
• January 2017: If No One Copies it or Tries to Steal It—Is It Worth Nothing? State of the Art of Small Automatic Parabolic Trough Steam Systems for Food Processing - Michael Götz
• January 2016: Mediterranean Diet - past present, and future of solar food processing (Solar food processing in Mediterranean Algarve) - Nídia Braz
• January 2016: Case Study of Food Processing Factory Using Solar Concentrators - Ghanshyam Lukhi, Tapi Foods, India
• January 2016: Sustainable Development by Integrating Use of Solar Cookers for Organic Products]] - Janak Palta McGilligan, Jimmy McGilligan Centre For Sustainable Development, India
• April 2016: Solar Food processing in Eastern Africa - a Summary - Bernhard Müller, Natural Resources and Waste Management Alliance, Kenya
• February 2016: Extension of Shelf Life of Fruits and Vegetables by Solar Thermal Drying with High Solar Fraction in Temperate Climates - Sonnenobst
• September 2014: State Of The Art Solar Bubble Dryer™ Promises To Help Farmers Dry Their Commodities - Solar Thermal magazine
• 2012: A review on energy and exergy analysis of solar drying systems - Panwar, N.L. & Kaushik, S.C. & Kothari, Surendra
• January 2009: Solar distillation for essential oils extraction - a decentralised approach for rural development - Ing. Anjum Munir & Dr. Oliver Hensel
• January 2009: Processing of agricultural products in solar cooker for income generation - Navratna Nahar, P. Sharma, and G.R. Chaudhary
• January 2009: Watermelon Processing in Triple Purpose Solar Integrated Device - P.C. Pande
• January 2009: Thematic studies for processing and preservation of food supplement, chilies and ginger by drying through solar energy - Ranjita Bezbaruah Sharma
• January 2009: Practical Application of Solar Tunnel Dryers - Klaus Triebe
• January 2009: Perspectives of solar food processing in India - C. Palaniappan
• January 2009: CHOCOSOL - An experience of producing joy without generating malice - Aline Desentis Otálora
• January 2009: Food processing through solar energy - Ghanshyam Lukhi
• January 2009: Micro-enterprises in Solar Food Processing Technology - Case Study - M. Ramakrishna Rao, D.J. Rao, S.L. Kumar
• January 2009: Advancing towards achievement of Millennium Development Goals by training Rural and Tribal women in Solar Food Processing - A Hands-on Experience at Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Central India - Dr. Janak McGilligan
• January 2009: Promotion of Smoke Free Villages in Chittoor District & Employment Generation to Rural Youth Through Solar Food Processing - Jagadeeswara Reddy
• January 2009: Agave syrup production – a sweet tradition goes solar - Gregor Schapers
• July 2006: Summary of Available Technologies for the Food Transformation with the Solar Energy - Ana Paola
• July 2006: Summary of Available Technologies for Food Transformation with Solar Energy - Solis Gutierrez
• July 2006: An Example of Solar Food Processing: Cooperative Production of Agave Syrup in Mexico - Heike Hoedt
• July 2006: The Potential of Using Panel Solar Cookers to Process Full-Fat Soybeans (Glycine max) for Urease Activity - Irvin Mpofu
• July 2006: An Example of Solar Food Processing: Cooperative Production of Agave Syrup in Mexico - Heike Hoedt
• Solar Food Processing - Network and Support - Rolf Behringer

Audio and Video[]

• November 2021:

• January 2017:

• January 2016: Interview with Ganshyam Lukhi of Tapi Food Products (The first 90 seconds of the interview are in German, and the rest is in English.)

• February 2016: 

• June 2012:

• January 2009:

See also[]

• Solar food drying
• Solar Food Processing Network
• Non-cooking uses
• Business development
• Chocosol
• Solar Foods
• Coffee roasting
• Dada Zanzibar
• International Solar Energy Society brochure on solar food processing
• Solar-roasted peanut butter plant

External links[]

• http://solarfood.org
• Tapi Tapi Food Products
• A brochure from the International Solar Energy Society covering the various uses of solar energy to process food (Spanish version) (French version) (German version)
• Solar Food Processing - Network and Support - Rolf Behringer