In Morocco, the majority of small farmers carry out solar drying of the fruits by traditional process on their farms. Such practice leads to losses in quality and quantity in dried fruits. This study aims to evaluate sensory and physico-chemical quality of dried figs by using two drying methods: (1st) Usual solar drying practiced by farmers and (2nd) Natural convection solar drying using a green solar dryer. The obtained results showed that second method reduced the drying time from 10 days (first method) to 4 days on average. In addition, it was found that the green solar dryer allows an increase in the temperature inside the drying chamber of + 8.1°C, on average, compared to the ambient temperature. Sensory analysis showed that the five assessed attributes (Mouth feel, color, appearance, flesh thickness and texture) were highly appreciated by using natural convection solar drying. The high difference was noted for the "mouth feel" attribute, followed by "color" which are the two main aspects searched by consumers. Regarding physico-chemical properties, solar-dried figs are rich with citric acid (12.0 g/l vs 9.72 g/l) and in total soluble sugars (60.6% vs 56.0%) compared to sun-dried figs. The water activity was respectively 0.631 and 0.672 for the 1st and 2nd method. In general terms, farmers are encouraged to enhance their drying methods by using natural convection solar drying as a preservative method that maintain nutritional and sensory quality of dried figs.
Keywords: Figs, Quality, Sensory, Physico-chemical, Morocco, solar drying prototyp
