Disminuir la pérdida de alimentos en la producción agrícola mediante la deshidratación

Abstract

This work contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 agenda, the SDG 12 "Responsible Consumption and Production". It is the design and construction of a programmable automated solar dehydrator that allows using the waste generated by agricultural products that do not reach the centres of consumption either because they do not meet the sales standards or because market prices are below the harvest costs. Those wasted products end up becoming garbage. The prototype dehydrator is solar-powered and has sensors that allow following the movement of the sun. It can be programmed through the implementation of the Internet of Things to control the temperature and humidity levels of the products, without requiring personnel to constantly monitor its operation. It can be scaled for different production levels according to the producers’ space availability. Tests were carried out with sliced tomatoes and managed to dehydrate seven kilos in 30 hours at room temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. The aim is to take the prototype to various agricultural producers in the eastern part of the state of Morelos to make use of their surpluses, which in turn will enable them to offer a quality organic product to end consumers.