Solar drying of rainbow trout

The aim of this study is to dry rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by empl oying a solar energized system. For this purpose, an experimental apparatus was built in the Energy Research Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering Depa rtment, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. The pre-treated fi sh samples were dried at 33-36 degrees C with about 1.8 m/s air velocity in 3 days. Results showed that the samples dried very quickly in the first 15 h of drying then a slow process occurred. The drying process was completed in about 75 h. It was concluded that fish drying is possible in the North East Black Sea region or other areas with a similar climate by a solar ener gy system if an additional heater is used. This technique was found to be s afe for changeable weathers as well as simple. This system has economical a dvantages compared to other methods applied alone, and can also be used for other drying applications. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.