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Surigao City

Chapter 1

PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter presents the introduction, literature review, conceptual framework, study's

objectives, the significance of the study, scope, and limitation, and definition of terms.

Introduction

Drying is a basic form of food preservation that is often carried out at the farm level right

after harvest, or primarily with highly perishable crops, at peak harvest time when local markets

are saturated. Drying vegetables, fruits, and meat with thermal energy enable longer storage

times and efficient transportation. Up to 70 percent of agricultural products spoil during the

traditional process of open-air drying, especially in tropical and subtropical regions (INNOTECH,

2012).

Sun-drying, often known as the open-air technique, is a traditional method of preserving

goods. In tropical and subtropical areas, sun drying is a common practice. However, depending

on the climatic conditions, the slowness of the process can cause a variety of issues, including a

loss of quality and a dramatic increase in the rapid growth and proliferation of microorganisms

such as molds, which can produce mycotoxins, resulting in high product losses and, as a result,

economic losses (Villalobos et al., 2016). Furthermore, it fails to fulfill the Good Manufacturing

Practice (GMP) standard for food safety and health, particularly the disease-prone open-air

drying procedure and the disturbance of flies and animal pests during storage.

The fish processing industry is critical to achieving fish self-sufficiency. Fish processing

reduces wastage and extends the shelf-life of perishable fish. It also maximizes the country's

dollar reserves through exportation. The Philippine fish processing industry began with traditional

methods (drying, smoking, and salting) and has evolved into modern processing (canning and

freezing). The development of new fishery products and convenience items has a brighter future.

Through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the government is working to improve
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and develop fish processing and new fishery products to raise awareness of the importance of

fish in the diet and encourage the use of low-cost and secondary fish species.

Most of Jabonga's settlers, particularly those near the lake, live by preserving dried

Pijanga fish (a kind of fish in Jabonga). Because of the erratic schedule of rotating brownouts

and changes in weather, Jabonga fishers find ways to dry their catch during this time. It is such a

significant issue that Jabonga Lake residents must take action and devise numerous solutions.

In this premise, the researcher proposes to develop a hybrid microcontroller-based fish

dryer. It will integrate sensors for drying performance, such as temperature and humidity

sensors, and other components such as heating elements, fans, and microcontrollers. When the

system is finished drying, the primary notification will automatically turn off the heating element

and other components to avoid wasting energy. It also contributes to the dryer's efficiency and

effectiveness. While previous dryers performed well in drying and had a notification system for

monitoring the drying process, the lack of a temperature control system and weather conditions

dependency were significant factors for users. Hence, is necessary to have a dependable and

efficient hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer for food preservation.

Review Of Literature

This section consists of studies and literature conducted by previous researchers and is

herein reviewed to enrich the present investigation.

According to Aravindh M.A., Sreekumar A. (2015), Many food preservation techniques

like cold storage, drying, etc., have evolved over the years to tackle the above losses. The

major constraint is that almost all technologies utilize fossil fuel resources, which are depleting

swift and wise use of these precious resources is preferred for long-term energy sustainability.

Therefore, sustainable methods for food preservation are the need of the hour. Solar drying is

one of the best choices in this context. Different models of solar dryers have been developed.

A good quantum of research is progressing in most countries to propagate the solar drying
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technology for the value addition of agriculture products. The solar drying technology is a

classic example to showcase how the sun's free energy could be effectively utilized for the

benefit of mankind.

V. Belessiotis, E. Delyannis (2011) stated that solar radiation used for drying is one of the

oldest solar energy applications. Since the dawn of humankind, it has been used mainly for food

preservation and drying other valuable materials like cloths, construction materials, etc. The first

installation for drying by solar energy was found in South France and is dated about 8000 BC.

Until the discovery and use of wood and biomass, solar heat was the only available energy

source for humanity. People still use solar radiation to dry and preserve small food in small

remote communities in third-world regions and Western countries.

According to Zaredar et al. (2017), The sun does not directly cope with the product in

these dryers, and humidification and drying are carried out through the heated airflow and

passed through the product. The performance of this machine can be better than other types of

dryers, and the superiority of this device is the uniform process of drying products throughout the

day and the high quality of the finished product. The indirect solar dryer comprises a separate

solar thermal collecting unit. A solar collector is attached to an opaque food drying cabinet, giving

it a distinct mechanism of solar thermal transfer and moisture removal from succulent food

produce. The solar collector warms the air entering the drying cabinet, which flows over the juicy

food products and generates heat for drying. Convective heat transfer between the product and

the heated air in its vicinity dries the fresh product.

The hybrid solar dryer uses the features of both the direct and indirect solar dryer

systems simultaneously. The combined action of the incident natural solar heat flux coupled with

the pre-heated drying air in the solar collector produces cumulative heat flux and improves the

drying process. Hybrid solar systems allow for a faster drying rate by using other sources of heat

energy to supplement solar heat. A hybrid solar dryer was conceived and built using direct solar
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energy and a heat exchanger. The system includes a solar collector, reflector, heat exchanger,

heat storage unit, and drying chamber. Underneath the collection was the drying chamber.

Regardless of the weather, the dryer can be utilized. In this case, the researcher combines the

indirect method and electricity for the effectiveness of the machine. Amer et al. (2013).

An updated passive-mode hybrid solar dryer called 'an enhanced solar dryer (ISD)' was

built-in. The ISD dryer was an upgraded variant of a traditional hybrid solar dryer using a passive

mode of operation. The ISD was made up of a changed solar collector plate and an improved

cabinet for drying fruit. There were several metallic solar energy concentrators on the ISD solar

collector panel. A specialized plastic greenhouse plastic material (from UV-treated PVC

Polyethene, GT4 Plastics) was developed and enclosed in the drying cabinet. Ouargla (South-

East Algeria) installed and experimentally tested an indirect working hybrid solar-electrical dryer.

Seveda and Jhajharia, (2012); Kumar et al., (2016); Sivakumar and Rajesh, (2016).

Abhay Lingayat, V.P. Chandramohan, V.R.K. Raju (2017) stated that, due to higher

prices and shortages of fossil fuels and to reduce the fuel consumption used in the drying

process, more importance is given to solar energy sources as it is freely available. During drying,

the drying air temperature is the most significant and effective factor. Air humidity and air velocity

are other crucial factors in increasing the drying rate.

Palanque, D. (2012) stated that the present invention relates to an apparatus of the

indirect solar dryer type to dry and dehydrate all kinds of foodstuffs, such as fruits, vegetables,

mushrooms, and aromatic herbs, meats, fish. This device is traditionally made of a single piece

of wood. It consists of a natural convection air solar collector and another dryer part. The dryer is

a kind of pantry arranged with shelves on which food is placed. The sensor to be operational

requires an inclination of at best 45°. As a result, the device is bulky and difficult to transport,

store, and integrate into a confined space and market.

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Ren-Wen Ma (2015)says that some foods, such as rice noodles, noodles, persimmons,

radish, shrimp, etc., all need to be dried by the sun to help their quality, taste, and color. Place it

on a bamboo sieve and expose it to the sun for drying. However, the bamboo screen is directly

open on the ground or the shelf due to the sun drying operation. It is susceptible to the

surrounding environment (such as dust, insects, climate, etc.), resulting in unsanitary dry foods.

A problem of quality flavor deviation is produced.

Synthesis. The literature review and studies have provided the scholarly

background for this study. There is relevance in conducting an innovation by developing and

evaluating a hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer. The research literature is filled with evidence

showing that solar dryers greatly help the farmers and fishers preserve their harvest and

transform it into other products.

Conceptual Framework

This study is anchored on the concepts of innovation developed by Joseph Schumpeter

(1934), who believed that an entrepreneur could earn economic profits by introducing

successful innovations. The innovation theory of profit posits that the primary function of an

entrepreneur is to introduce innovations, and the gain in the form of reward is given for his

performance. Any new policy implemented by an entrepreneur to reduce overall production

costs or increase demand for his products is referred to as innovation.

Thus, innovation can be divided into two categories: the first includes all activities that

reduce the overall cost of production, such as the introduction of a new method or technique of

production, the introduction of new machinery, innovative ways of organizing the industry, and

the second includes all activities that increase the demand for a product, such as the

introduction of a new commodity or new quality goods.

This study focused on developing and evaluating hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer.

The research follows the Input-Process-Output model.

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INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

 Knowledge  Conceptualizing
and Skills  Planning
 Supplies and  Designing HYBRID
Materials  Assembling and MICROCONTROLLER-
Fabrication BASED FISH DRYER
 Tools and
 Modifying and
Equipment Calibrating
 Manpower  Testing
 Methods  Evaluating
1.1 DESIGNING AND

Figure 1

Research Paradigm
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The INPUT involves the gathering of materials. Parts of the distribution system are project

design and fabrication. The device will be carefully designed and specified in terms of

requirement, condition, plan, arrangement, measurement, and pattern, Littlepage et al., (2005).

The project's materials will be identified and evaluated through the Technology Assessment

Protocol of the DOST using the TEEPS. The materials will also be detailed, including the

individual prices of the materials. The researcher will seek the assistance of one (1) electronic

technician and one (1) electronics professor to carry out the project's fabrication activities. The

researcher will install the parts and components in this field, connect them and test the project's

effectiveness.

The PROCESS includes assessing the current parts distribution system through the

researcher-made questionnaire. The device will be evaluated according to its technical

feasibility, economic viability, environmental soundness, and political and social acceptability.

The project will be evaluated by the electrical/electronic experts in Surigao State College of

Technology, Surigao City.

The OUTPUT presents the proposed model of the device. During this stage, the

proposed model introduced the features, parts of the device, the care, maintenance instruction,

and operation guide (Eseryel,2002).

The projected time for the design and development was five (5) months; two (2) weeks

for specification analysis, two (2) weeks for project designing, two (2) weeks for budgetary cost

analysis, two (2) weeks for verification and testing, one (1) month for result analysis for

fabrication, two (2) weeks allotted for fabrication, one (1) month for testing and two (2) weeks for

documentation of the research work.

The researcher will gather the relevant materials for the study from local market

establishments at various locations where the supplies are available.

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Statement of the Problem

The study aims to develop a hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer that the fisherfolks

will utilize in the coastal area of Lake Mainit that produces dried Pijanga.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following sub-problems:

1. What design parameters can be integrated into the proposed development of the hybrid

microcontroller-based fish dryer?

2.What procedures will be undertaken in the development phase of the hybrid microcontroller-

based fish dryer?

3. What is the perception of the experts in the evaluation of the hybrid microcontroller-based

fish dryer using the DOST Technology Assessment Protocol (TAP) in terms of:

a. Technical Feasibility;

b. Economic and Financial viability;

c. Environmental Soundness;

d. Political Acceptability; and

e. Social Acceptability?

4. What user's operations manual can be formulated for the hybrid microcontroller-based

fish dryer?

Significance of the Study

The proposed development of the hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer would be

beneficial for the following:

College Administrators. Administrators can consider this device investment in the

institution.

Electrical/Electronic Experts. Experts help test the project's performance, durability,

effectiveness, and safety.

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Faculty. The device will be of big help in the instruction. Showing the usefulness of

microcontroller devices

Local Government Units. They can use the study to help locals with their product,

especially funding for installing the project.

Researchers. This study would give them the necessary data to replicate the present

study.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study was limited to the following aspects.

Focus. This study focused on developing and evaluating a hybrid microcontroller-based

fish dryer.

Respondents. The study respondents are the electrical and electronic experts of Surigao

State College of Technology, Surigao City.

Source of Data. Project testing in an open area and evaluation from experts using the

evaluation instrument are data sources.

Place and Time. The study will be conducted at the Surigao State College of

Technology, Surigao City, during the second semester of the Academic Year 2021-2022.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally or conceptually to understand the present

study better.

Fish Dryer. Refers to devices used to dry fish under a controlled environment.

Hybrid. Refers to the capability of the device to operate on or off the grid. It can be

connected directly to an AC source or solar panels.

Device Safety. Refers to the extent to which the hybrid microcontroller-based fish dryer

is safe from its user.

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Microcontroller. A small computer on a single metal-oxide-

semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chip, designed for embedded applications.

Operational Safety. Refers to the extent to which the operation of the hybrid

microcontroller-based fish dryer is safe and easy to operate.

Solar Dryer. Devices that use solar energy to dry substances, especially food.

Solar Power. The conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly

using photovoltaic (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination.