DIY fruit dryer

Fruits are a source of vitamins and various useful elements necessary to maintain health and strengthen immunity. But it is impossible to use them fresh throughout the year. To provide the body with the necessary substances, fruits must be harvested in advance. There are two ways for this: canning and drying. More vitamins in fruits are preserved precisely with drying. In the process of canning, a significant part of the molecules is destroyed, as a result of which the fruits lose most of the vitamins.

Features of fruits

In order to dry fruits, you can simply put them in a cool place and wait for them to reach the desired state. This method has certain advantages, because For its implementation, it is not required to make considerable efforts and make great financial investments. In addition, in this process of workpiece, fruits retain almost all valuable elements. But this approach also has a significant drawback.

Fruits dried in this way attract insects. Moreover, it is not possible to protect fruits from their invasion, since in the conditions of hermetic packaging and lack of contact with air the fruits simply will not dry out. It is not a way out of the situation and processing with chemical drugs, since in this case the taste of the product will change. In addition, chemicals penetrate the fruit structure, and such a product will no longer be absolutely safe. The most optimal way to prepare fruits for the whole year is to make a dryer.

The principle of work of drying

The principle of action of fruit dryers is as follows: the main work is performed by an enhanced air flow that passes through the fruit layer. As a result of this effect, metabolic processes are activated in the fruits, which accelerates the process of drying. But fruits cannot be influenced by open air flow at once. Previously, they must be held for 3-4 days in a dryer without exposing such an effect.

To do this, the fruits must be cut and laid out on the trays, which are then installed on the housing. In this way, you can dry not only fruits, but also greens, mushrooms. In the process of heating, moisture from fruit is removed, and their final humidity indicator is from 5% to 8%. To avoid reduction in temperature, you should take care of thermal insulation of the walls of the structure.

Manufacturing technology

The design of the dryers for vegetables and fruits is three main details:

• frame;
• fan;
• fruit placement tray.

For the manufacture of the case, various materials can be used. For example, plywood sheets. Recommended design size: width - 60 cm, length - 80 cm, height - 40 cm. The case should consist of only walls, the bottom and lid do not need to be mounted.

An old refrigerator is also suitable for the manufacture of a dryer cabinet. From it you need to remove the freezer and compressor. The glass wool is often used as a heater in the refrigerator, so caution should be caused when it is removed. Work must be done in thick clothes and rubber prints. The process of construction occurs in the following sequence:

1. In the lower and top of the refrigerator, windows should be made to ensure the flow in the design of the air flow and its output.
2. You can provide a door fixing using a regular hook. If the hook is a little bend and make a notch on it, when closing the door will fit more tightly to the refrigerator, tightly closing the body.
3. As a bottom, it is necessary to install a metal fine mesh.

For this purpose, you can also apply the grill grill. Previously, from the grate, you need to remove the wire handles. A fan equipped with an engine is attached on the grid. This element can be removed from old equipment. In the absence of a fan, it can be replaced by incandescent lamps. They will need 2 pcs with a capacity of 150 watts. When using the lamps, you will need a little more time for drying. In the upper part of the box, trays are installed on which the air flow from the fan will affect.

Method of manufacture of infrared dryer

This is a fairly economical and simple method for making a home -made fruit dryer. For work, you will need:

• a heating film that is used to install warm floors with a size of 50x100 cm. The power of such a film is 110 watts;
• electric wire with a fork and a switch;
• a set of insulation.

It is better to use bituminous insulation used to install infrared floors. On top of this material, PVC isolation should be laid, it can be purchased at places of sale of a heating film.

To connect the wire to the heating pad, you will also need 2 clamps, 2 gross, 2 terminals - rings. The wires are connected using a soldering iron:

1. In the process of soldering under the film, it is recommended to put a metal block, this will avoid its overheating.
2. The temperature of this dryer reaches 58 ° C. This is enough to obtain a quality product. Such a dryer is quite convenient in use. It easily turns into a roll, which facilitates its storage or transportation.
3. Also, this dryer is a multifunctional device, since the possibilities of its use are not limited to drying fruits. This device is also used as a heater in the cold period.

Solar dryer

This design will dry fruits with solar energy. For work, you need to prepare wooden bars of 50x50 mm. The width, length and depth of the dryer can be chosen arbitrarily, focusing on personal needs.

1. The bars are lost among themselves. Thus, three details are formed.
2. Next, the frame is shot down.
3. The shelves of the structure must be mounted at a right angle with respect to the sunny side. In order to determine this angle, you need to set the future dryer in the sun and monitor the shadow.
4. The case should be tilted and traced when the intercom shades are connected. Then, using the level, mark on the side parts of the location of the shelves.
5. The back wall, as well as the side parts, must be sewn with plywood sheets or lining. On the back, the metal sheet should be additionally installed, this will ensure the heating of the dryer. On top and in the lower part, holes are left to ensure air circulation.
6. In order to prevent the penetration of insects through these holes, they should be closed with a mosquito net.
7. Inside, the structure is painted black. This is done to create a greenhouse effect, which is necessary for drying.
8. The dryer must be covered with transparent material. For this purpose, ordinary glass, cellular polycarbonate or transparent slate is suitable.
9. On this, the fruit dryer with your own hands is ready, it can be installed. It should be located under the slope, so the sun's rays will fall into the dryer in sufficient quantities. The desired location can be provided by leaning the body against any surface. If there is no suitable surface, pipes are attached to the sides of the structure. For free air circulation, shelves are made of mesh material. For example, from a mosquito net.

The sun dryer is valid as follows. The rays of the sun penetrate the transparent coating and heat the metal sheet attached to the posterior wall. As a result, the temperature inside the structure increases significantly and reaches 50 ° C. Under these conditions, fruits dry out at an accelerated pace. Moreover, due to the excretion of moisture, the products do not mold. Good ventilation contributes to this. Cold air enters through the lower hole in the dryer, it heats up and exits through the hole in the upper part. This principle prevents the appearance of mold on fruits.

When drying, you do not need to try to speed up the process by increasing temperature. As a result of this, a significant amount of vitamins and pectins in fruits is destroyed and their nutritional value will decrease. To obtain a quality product, the temperature in the structure should not exceed 50 ° C.

Conclusion

The use of a dryer will make the harvesting of fruit for the whole year. At the same time, fruits will not be exposed to destructive thermal effects, due to which almost all useful elements will remain in their composition. The manufacturing technology of this design is quite simple, and the necessary materials are available. Before making, it is necessary to take into account all the features of drying dryers: reviews, structural parameters, type, etc.

The process of manufacturing infrared fruit dryers is shown in the video: