Drying apples using a solar dryer with a desiccant cycle in two modes: direct radiation-convection and indirect radiation-convection

Purpose The purpose of the current research is to dry apples using a solar dryer with an absorbent cycle in two modes of direct-convective radiation and indirect-convective radiation. Two types of direct and indirect drying methods with and without moisture absorbers and drying in open air were used. The pre-prepared apple slices (flavored with cinnamon) were placed on a piece of mesh with certain dimensions, the initial weight of the samples was measured and inside the solar dryer with an absorbent cycle in two modes of direct-convective radiation and indirect-convective radiation. It was placed; And during the drying process, the rate of evaporation, texture, wrinkling, water reabsorption rate, retention rate of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and color change and sensory characteristics at different levels of treatment (30% sucrose and without sucrose and zero, 0.5, 1 and 2% of cinnamon) and also some samples were dried by solar dryer without flavoring with cinnamon alone. Data analysis was done with the completely random factorial design statistical method and using SPSS version 26 statistical software.