(Understanding Machine Dehydration and reasons for its superiority)
| CRITERION | Machine Dehydrated Product | SUN Dried Product |
| PROCESS | A. Dry crop is first sorted for extraneous matter and dry mud removal is carried out. Further finger breaking is done for Ginger to remove mud in pockets.
B. Fresh Crop is washed and peeled using pressurized filtered water in machines to remove adhering mud C. Peeled Material is sorted where damaged/material unfit for human consumption are manually sorted out at the sorting station
D. Peeled Material is Sliced into pieces of uniform thickness to attain even drying and sturdy flakes
E. Sliced Material is dried in Hot Air Drier using controlled heating and humidity, in a hygienic environment. Due to controlled drying, essential oil losses are minimal. F. 40-50 kg Dehydrated Product is baled and packed in food grade PE Tubes and then covered with HDPE/PP woven bags tied and duly strapped
The entire operation is with minimal human intervention |
A. Minimal pre-processing is carried out and presence of minute mud particles remain in surface and between fingers in case of Ginger.
B. Crop is not peeled
C. No sorting is done
D. Crop is sliced into non-uniform thickness which results in non-uniform drying and bulky flakes.
E. Sliced Crop is manually laid out in the Sun for Drying . The Crop lies exposed to the open air and dust and under uncontrolled heat of the sun.
F. 10-12 Kg Dry product is manually packed in HDPE Bags and sewn.
Human-intervention at every step of the process |
| PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: | ||
| Dry-mud Removal and finger breaking | Done on dry basis to remove sticky mud and breaking of fingers is carried out to clean the finger pockets of mud | Not Done |
| Washing and peeling | Done with Filtered water and peeled by machines with 100% accuracy | May or may not be done.
Non-uniform process. |
| Sorting | All material is sorted to check for peeling accuracy and rotten pieces | Not Done |
| Slicing | Uniform size as the material is sliced in machines to deliver uniform output | May or may not be done.
Not uniform size since hand sliced. |
| Drying | Uniform since all sizes of the product is dehydrated on both sides under controlled low temperature and humidity | Not uniform as different sides are exposed to different temperatures
Only top surface receives heat while the lower surface remains damp until flipped, which aids fungal and microbial growths |
| Colour | Uniform and least colour loss/change as the product moves in machines which operate at low temperatures and hence avoid darkening of surface colour | Non- uniform colour and high colour loss/change due to exposure to uncontrolled heating from sun and moisture laden atmosphere |
| MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS: | ||
| Microbial Growths like Aflatoxins, Mycotoxins | Essentially NIL as dehydrated in a hygienic environment with no human intervention | High since the products is dried in the open air and the damp face of the product, which is under shade, will aide aflatoxins growth and fungi formation |
| Presence of Salmonella
|
Essentially NIL as dehydrated in a hygienic environment with no human intervention | High since the products is dried in the open and chances of animals and bird droppings are high. Also material has to be moved continuously by human touch so risk of contamination rises. |
| Heavy metals and other pollutants | Essentially NIL as dehydrated in a hygienic, clean and closed environment | High – since exposed to open air which may contain pollutants from traffic, industries and other polluting devices |
| Poly-cyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) | NIL – since dehydrated with clean and indirectly heated air only | High since to achieve faster drying of the crop processors have started adopting exposing the wet crops to heat sources like coal, charcoal or their smoke |
| INHERENT QUALITIES | ||
| Moisture | Uniform and can be dehydrated to moisture levels as specified by clients | Not uniform since product is dried under non-uniform heat source from the sun. Moreover, flipping of pieces is done manually and may not be precisely done for all the pieces. |
| Volatile Oil | No Volatile Oil Content loss happens as the product is dehydrated under low temperatures.
Due to retention of Volatile Oil Content the final product gives more flavour/taste/medicinal benefit per unit weight
|
As the heat from the sun is uncontrolled and the moisture laden dead air increases the heat effect, there is huge loss in Volatile Oil and flavour of the product
As a major share of Volatile Oil Content is lost in the process, the resultant product has low flavour/taste/medicinal-benefit per unit weight |
| CONSUMPTION COMPARISON | ||
| Quantity | Very less quantity is required to get the desired result | A high quantity is required to get to the desired result. Even then satisfactory result is difficult to attain |
GLOSSARY:
| Dehydration: | Process involves use of specialised drying machines which remove only the water content of a crop |
| Drying: | Process involves heating by laying out under open sun or exposure to a heat source for a prolonged period of time which results in loss of water content as well volatile oil content of the product |
| Volatile Oil: | The Source of a crops’:
a. Aroma b. Taste c. Flavour d. Medicinal properties |
| Water Content: | The measure of how much water by weight is present in a product |
| Salmonella: | An infection with a bacteria called Salmonella, Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal faeces. |
| Aflatoxin: | A family of toxins produced by certain fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, the growth of which are abundant in warm and humid conditions. |
| Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH): | A class of widespread environmental carcinogens caused by growing pollution levels and unorthodox heating methods. |
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