Investigating Applicability of Heat-Driven Desiccant Dehumidification System for Shelf Life Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are considered as highly perishable commodities and deteriorate very rapidly if not handled properly. Present study accentuates on use of desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) system for the storage of fruits and vegetables in challenging climatic conditions of Pakistan. The respiration and transpiration are the factors influencing the products quality and quantity. Post-harvest loss is one of the major concerns in storage life of fruits and vegetables. In this regard, more than half of the population in Pakistan experiencing food insecurity. Under these circumstances, conventional vapor compression air conditioning (VCAC) systems are being used globally to overcome the post-harvest losses but these systems are either expensive or unsuccessful. Therefore, to maintain the post-harvest nutritious value and shelf life of stored fruits and vegetables; a clean, low-cost, and energy efficient DAC system is presented in this study which can be maneuvered on low-grade waste heat, solar thermal energy and biomass.