PRODUCTION OF MACAÚBA PULP FLOUR IN HORIZONTAL AND COLUMN SOLAR DRYER

The macaúba palm, native to Brazil, is an alternative source of income for rural communities, such as in Cariri (CE), Drying the pulp of this fruit can be an effective solution to store the product and generate income from its commercialization in the form of flour. The objective of this study was to adapt solar drying systems for fresh macaúba pulp. Two types of solar dryers were tested: (1) horizontal dryer and (2) column dryer. Dryer 1 was built with naval plywood, 1 m² glass and covered with Styrofoam and black aluminum to optimize heat absorption, ventilation openings, 30° inclination and four perforated stainless steel trays for drying the fruits. In dryer 2, the fruits are not exposed to direct solar radiation, being divided into two modules: (a) heat collector box and (b) column drying chamber. Ripe fruits were harvested in the Cariri region, cleaned, peeled and pulped manually. The pulp was distributed in the trays and subjected to drying for a sufficient time to reach the desired moisture content (~10 hours). After drying, the pulps were crushed in a knife mill and compared with the fresh fruit. The moisture content of the fresh pulp, initially 55%, was reduced to 20% in both methods, according to ANVISA's RDC No. 272/2005 regulation. The carotenoid content of the fresh pulp (102.85 ± 1.77 μg/g) showed higher losses in dryer 1 (76.48 ± 3.74 μg/g) compared to dryer 2 (97.79 ± 3.67 μg/g), due to direct exposure to the sun's rays in this system