Practice of the craft of drying fruits and vegetables in southern Cameroon.Original Title (non-English) Pratique du sechage artisanal de fruits et legumes dans le sud du Cameroun [French]

摘要

Introduction. In recent years, the drying of fruits and vegetables on a small scale has experienced a resurgence of interest in Cameroon, both for local sale and export. However, processors who engage in this activity are not satisfied with the dryers they use. Materials and methods. In this context, we conducted a semi-open survey of fifty drying units installed in the areas of Douala and Yaounde (Cameroon) to identify better the challenges they face. Information obtained during this survey was coded to facilitate the IT operations. The final sample constituted only companies working on a small scale (70% of the initial sample), that is to say, treating less than 500 kg of fresh produce per drying cycle. Results. The analysis results showed that nearly 45% of units surveyed did not have a dryer and that 70% of the dryers in the units surveyed were equipped with gas dryers. Overall, nearly 92% of these dryers are natural convection dryers. The most well-known dryer model is the Atesta model, imported from Burkina Faso, variants of which are manufactured locally. It turns out that this model only partially meets the needs of users and local processors, who are increasingly abandoning the dryers. Conclusion. The inventory of fixtures of the activity of small-scale drying of fruits and vegetables in southern Cameroon revealed that, despite the different offers locally available, the need for drying devices that meet user expectations better is very important. This need translates into a willingness to acquire dryers with the capacity to treat over 80 kg of fresh produce during a 10-h drying cycle, and equipped with a ventilation and control system of drying parameters.