1. SOLAR FRUIT DRYING

2. Value Adding

3. Aftabi Raisins
Grower price Aftabi
$0.50 to $2.00/kg

4. Premium 25mm Shundukhani kishmish
Kishmish Raisins
Estimate is the current market demand for premium kishmish raisins is at least 3 times current Afghan supply.
Probably with a high quality kishmish product, new markets could be developed.
Premium 25mm Shundukhani kishmish
Grower price = $2.00 to $5.00 / kg

5. Kishmish Khana Tradition
Large 30 meter long Kishmish Khana
Estimate $12,000 cost to build
13,500kg fresh Shundukhani yield 3,300kg kishmish
13,500 x $0.30/kg = $4,050 cost of grapes
3,300 x $2.00/kg = $6,600 gross
3,300 x $5.00/kg = $16,500 gross
Gross kishmish revenue - cost of grapes = added value
$6,600 - $4,050 = $2,550 added value
$16,500 - $4,050 = $12,450 added value
30 days to dry grapes and traditionally one batch per season

6. Improved Direct Solar Drying
More sanitary
Faster drying
More productive
“Direct” Solar
Maybe Kishmish if use p.metabisulfite?
“Batch” process

7. Critical Kishmish Parameters
What makes Kishmish raisins?
Shundukhani grapes
Shade
minimal Ultraviolet light
Lower temperatures
Probably no higher than 38 Celsius
Should experiment with potassium carbonate and potassium metabisulfite

8. Drying can be faster, if:
Raisin Production
Drying grapes
Heat
Air flow
Relative Humidity
Time
Drying can be faster, if:
Higher temperatures are maintained 24/7
More airflow
Grapes are spread in thin layers
Some grape treatments are used

9. Kishmish Khana / Kishmish Konex™?
Is Kishmish Khana necessary ?
Perhaps containers will be better?

10. Break & Questions

11. Technical Raisin Questions
Kishmish Raisin Quality
If constant 38 Celsius temperature, will quality be same?
If raisins are dried faster with more airflow, will quality be same?
If grapes are pre-treated to speed drying, will quality be the same?
Potassium carbonate
Blanch hot water
Other

12. Conventional Dryer with Gas Heat
‘McKenzie’ Dryer
1860kg fresh grape
465kg Kishmish
$930-$2325 per load Kishmish
Guessing 48 hr per load at 38 Celsius
Estimate Cost to run
Electric fan = $1.00/hr
Gas heat= $5.00/hr
$6/hr x 48 hr = $288

13. Indirect Solar Drying Containers Inexpensive Protects fruit from sun
Easy sanitation
Easy to modify to create indirect solar dryer
65 Celsius

14. Solar Container Dryer Estimates
Rough estimate:
9,525kg fresh Shundukhani grapes = 2,116kg kishmish
With high airflow only perhaps dry in 8 days
With high airflow and solar collector with heat storage, perhaps dry in 4 days.
2,100 kg Kishmish x $2/kg = $4,200 in 8 days?

15. Experiment Proposed Thin layer grapes 80mm tray spacing
High speed fan airflow
container with solar collector or without

16. Small Scale Experiment Proposed
Small test box could make from wood
Thin layer grapes on mesh trays
80mm tray spacing
High speed fan airflow
Keep grapes in dark
ensure fresh ambient airflow
How many hours to dry grapes into Kishmish raisins?

17. Break & Questions

18. Solar Dryer - only ambient heat
Insulated ducting

19. What is a Solar Collector?

20. Solar dryer -with collector only

21. What is Heat Storage?

22. Solar Collector and Heat Storage

23. Solar Dryer Workflow
Diagram represents a commercial scale indirect solar dryer with energy collector and heat storage.

24. Solar Container Dryer Estimates
Rough estimate:
9,525kg fresh Shundukhani grapes = 2,116kg kishmish
With high airflow only perhaps dry in 8 days
With high airflow and solar collector with heat storage, perhaps dry in 4 days.
2,100 kg Kishmish x $2/kg = $4,200 in 8 days?

25. Questions

26. Summary Anybody want to learn more?
Shall we build a small test dryer box?
Shall we build a pilot Kishmish Konex™?