Qualities of Tilapia zillii products from solar tent dryers in a humid tropical environment

The use of sun in drying as a means of preservation in food production is currently attracting attention as a good technique given the various difficulties and the negative effects associated with other techniques. This study aimed to examine the nutritional constituents of dried Tilapia zillii products, produced from different types of solar tent dryers. The aim of this study was to identify the best type of solar tent dryer for producing solar dried fish in a tropical humid environment.The type of dryer used for the study was designed by Doe (1977) and cited in Olokor et al., (2009a). The dryers had wooden frames with dimensions 4x3x3m and trays made with chicken wire over wooden frames. Three types of dryers were set up: a solar tent dryer with collector covered with transparent white polythene (CTP); a solar tent dryer without collector but covered with transparent white polythene (NCTP) and a solar tent dryer without collector covered with black polythene (NCBP). Fish samples of equal weight (350 ± 10.5g) and length (22±2.5cm) were prepared, treated with 30% brine and exposed to gradual solar influence from under the tents. Products were allowed to dry and were then analyzed for nutritional quality. Statistical analysis was based on Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using SPSS (15.0) for windows. NCTP produced the best results in terms of protein, lipids, ash and moisture (p<0.05). Fish drying can be achieved in a humid environment using a solar tent covered with transparent nylon without a solar collector. The dryer was environmentally friendly, cheap, easy to operate and all material used for construction were sourced locally.