Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series II: Forestry • Wood Industry • Agricultural Food Engineering • Vol. 4 (53) No. 2 - 2011

CONSERVATION BY DRYING OF PLUMS

WITH SOLAR ENERGY

A.L. MARIN1 Gh. BRĂTUCU1

Abstract: Dehydration is one of the most common methods for preserving

fruits, especially grapes and plums, vegetables and mushrooms. This technology
is one of the most natural methods of preservation. There is no need for
chemical treatment of food only of the energy to minimize the water content
of products. To reduce costs we suggest and justify the use of solar energy
and some relatively simple equipment, which in Romania can be efficient for
at least 6 months per year.

Key words: plum, drying, solar energy, conservation.

1. Introduction compounds present in the fruits, such as

dietary fiber, sorbitol, and isatin. Prunes and
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree of the prune juice are often used to help regulate
genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The the functioning of the digestive system. Dried
subgenus is distinguished from other prune marketers in the United States have,
subgenera (peaches, cherries, bird cherries in recent years, begun marketing their product
etc.) by a terminal bud in the shoots and by as "dried plums". This is due to "prune"
the solitary side buds (not clustered), the having negative connotations connected with
flowers in groups of one to five together on elderly people suffering from constipation.
short stems, and the fruit having a groove Dried, salted plums are used as a snack,
running down one side and a smooth stone sometimes known as saladito or salao.
(or pit). Various flavors of dried plum are available
Mature plum fruit may have a dusty- at Chinese grocers and specialty stores
white coating that gives them a glaucous worldwide. They tend to be much drier
appearance and is easily rubbed off. This is than the standard prune. Cream, Ginsing,
an epicuticular wax coating and is known Spicy, and Salty are among the common
as "wax bloom". Dried plum fruits are varieties. Licorice is generally used to
called dried plums or prunes, although intensify the flavor of these plums and is
prunes are a distinct type of plum, and may used to make salty plum drinks and
have pre-dated the fruits now commonly toppings for Shaved Ice or baobing [8].
known as plums [8].
Dried plums (or prunes) are also sweet and 2. Material and Method
juicy and contain several antioxidants. Plums
and prunes are known for their laxative effect. Plums come in a wide variety of colors and
This effect has been attributed to various sizes. Some are much firmer-fleshed than

1
Dept. of Food and Tourism Engineering, Transilvania University of Braşov.
112 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series II • Vol. 4 (53) No. 2 - 2011

others and some have yellow, white, green • Satsuma plum (Firm red flesh with a
or red flesh, with equally varying skin color. red skin).
Plum cultivars in use today include: • 'Victoria' (Yellow flesh with a red or
• Damson, or Damask Plum. mottled skin).
• Greengage (Firm, green flesh and skin • Yellow gage, or Golden plum (Similar
even when ripe). to Greengage, but yellow).
• Mirabelle (Dark yellow, predominantly The top ten plum producers in 2009 were
grown in northeast France). the countries presented in Table 1:

Table 1

For the production of prunes only brownie placed on trays in varying numbers of layers.
plums are used (Prunus domestica L. ssp A layer can be thicker than 12 cm. Prunes
domestica) as well as their derivatives: are dried and smoked using hot air and
Stanley, Amers, Węgierka, Dąbrowicka, smoke from hardwood which are supplied by
empresa, Oneida, Jojo, Top, Valjevka, an oven placed under the tray. The mixture
President and Damacha. Fruits of these of hot air and smoke is passing among the
varieties have the characteristics necessary trays and the fruit placed on them. For this
for drying including a high sugar content and purpose gravity circulation of air and smoke
relatively low water content. The fruit must is used. Temperature in drying units is 45°C-
be healthy with no signs of rot, mechanical 90°C. Temperature is highest at the bottom
damage or visible damage by insects, mites of the drying unit and the lowest in the
or other pests. For example, for the middle of it because of the gravitational
production of smoked prunes only drying circulation of air. The whole process of
units are used, where plums can be dried and drying and smoking lasts for 48 hours, but
smoked with smoke and hot air. Drying Unit duration may vary depending on fruit size,
can not be higher than 3 meters. Fruits are temperature and drying facilities maintained
placed on trays by hand. They must be by the external atmospheric factors,
arranged in such manner that the air and particularly temperature and humidity. Dried
smoke easily reach every part of them. fruits and smoked uniformly are gathered
Depending on the size of the fruit, they are from the trays and sorted [6].
Marin, A.L., et al.: Conservation by Drying of Plums with Solar Energy 113

Equipment scheme that can be achieved of heat transfer by convection and

drying by using solar energy is shown in evaporation rate is proportional to the
Figure 1. For solar energy recovery and its difference between air temperature and
use as energy source it is necessary to use considered surface, the difference between
photovoltaic panels. Overall scheme of the dry and wet thermometer temperature. This
control panel is shown in Figure 2. The difference is called the wet thermometer
control panel consists of photovoltaic panel, depression (WTD). However, a fruit area
battery, controller and connecting cables. that is exposed to dehydration is different
from a free water surface. This is because
the raw material subject to dehydration can
receive the heat by convection from the
grates that are placed, or by radiation from
the surrounding environment.
When using solar energy for drying
plums these will dry in the sun when
temperatures remain around 30 degrees
Fig. 1. Overall scheme of the dryer
Celsius or higher and when there is good
air movement, even in the form of light
breeze. A single day will not be enough for
proper drying and fruit should be placed in
a location where they can be quickly taken
inside in case of rain [2].
Romania is in a geographical area with
good sun coverage, with an annual solar
flux between 1000 KWh/m2/year to 1300
kWh/m2/year. From this amount of energy
one can capture between 600 and 800
kWh/m2/year. The level of insolation is
determined by geographical location using
a country-specific sunshine map (Figure
3). This map divides our country into three
main areas of sunshine: Zone 0, Zone 1
and Zone 2, Zone 0 with the highest solar
Fig. 2. Overall scheme of the panel radiation [1].

3. Water Evaporation

Removing excess water from the fruit is

subjected to dehydration by evaporation
under the influence of temperature and air
movement. If the rate of air movement
exceeds 1 m/s, all wet surfaces that are in
the same air flow receive about the same
amount of heat, known as wet-heat
thermometer. During dehydration of fruits,
the water from cell juice surfaces and
evaporates due to internal diffusion. Rate Fig. 3. Romanian solar map
114 Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Series II • Vol. 4 (53) No. 2 - 2011

For fresh plums, humidity is about by photo electrochemical conversion using

81.1%. Thus, in order to preserve the fruit chemical reactions of charge transfer. This
for a long time, dehydration should be conversion is currently under scrutiny [3].
made until the humidity reaches values of A PV cell consists of two layers of silicon
18-20% [6]. semiconductors doped with other elements
to change their electrical properties. A layer
4. Results and Discussions has more electrons so it has a negative
charge (N type) and the other has less (type
Among the internal factors that influence P) than naturally. When sunlight reaches the
dehydration’s first factor is the nature of photovoltaic cell, it has enough energy to
raw material, expressed by the chemical free electrons. The release near the junction
composition and physical structure. Pre- passes through it due to potential difference
treatment of material, scalding or steaming and creates an electrical current [4].
(blanching) causes dehydration to be faster The principle of the photovoltaic cell is
than in untreated ones because the first shown in Figure 4.
case increases the permeability of cell Advantages of PV technology are:
membranes. The degree of maturation, • do not need fuel;
expressed by dry matter content and • lack of wear;
proportion of its main components, the • easy maintenance;
time from collection to dehydration and • robustness and high reliability;
storage conditions can be incorporated in • it is useful where network connection
the group of natural factors. is impossible or too expensive.
The main external factors which influence Energy produced by the photovoltaic
dehydration are form and degree of panels is used immediately or stored in
fragmented material or piece size. It is batteries.
known that the dehydration speed of a Current disadvantages of such a system are:
water-rich material and therefore drying • high cost;
time, theoretically speaking, is inversely • difficult to store large amounts of
proportional to the square of the thickness electricity [5].
of the pieces. A practical consequence of
this finding is shortened dehydration. In 4.1. Overview of photovoltaic systems
case of drying with solar energy, the
exploitation of this type of energy requires Photovoltaic cells (PV) or solar cells are
conversion of solar energy into electricity. It semiconductors that convert sunlight into
is possible to simultaneously convert solar continuously electricity. Groups of
energy into chemical energy and electricity photovoltaic cells are electrically configured

Fig. 4. The principle of the photovoltaic cell

Marin, A.L., et al.: Conservation by Drying of Plums with Solar Energy 115

into modules or panels and are used to power supply etc. for domestic and industrial
charge the batteries in various applications systems, as can be seen in Figure 5 [7].
in telecommunications, rural electrification,

Fig. 5. Scheme of photovoltaic cell-junction P-N

5. Conclusions electricity by photo electrochemical

conversion using chemical reactions of
• In the production of prunes only charge transfer.
brownie plums are used (Prunus domestica
L. ssp domestica) as well as their Acknowledgement
derivatives: Stanley, Amers, Węgierka,
Dąbrowicka, Empresa, Oneida, Jojo, Top, This paper is supported by the Sectoral
Valjevka, President and Damacha. Fruits Operational Programme Human Resources
of these varieties have the characteristics Development (SOP HRD), financed from
necessary for drying including a high sugar the European Social Fund and by the
content and relatively low water content. Romanian Government under the contract
• Removing excess water from the fruit number POSDRU/88/1.5/S/59321.
is subjected to dehydration by evaporation
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solar energy into chemical energy and Energetică generală şi conversia
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