Date powder was produced by foam-mat freeze-dried method without and with carrier agents (maltodextrin and gum arabic) at two concentration levels (40 and 50%). The effect of carrier agents on the physicochemical properties of powder, i.e., hygroscopicity, degree of caking, wettability, dispersibility, solubility, water absorption index, color, and total phenolic content was investigated. Carrier agent-added date powders had lower hygroscopicity that offers good storage stability. Maltodextrin-added powders had lower wettability and higher solubility which indicate good reconstitution properties. The hygroscopicity, degree of caking, wettability, and total phenolic content significantly decreased with an increase in carrier concentration level.

Seawater greenhouses (SWGH) utilize seawater or saline/brackish groundwater for cooling the microclimate and providing freshwater for irrigation through a humidification–dehumidification desalination process. The overall effectiveness of the SWGH greatly depends on the effectiveness of its condenser. The present study provides a good review on the available simulation models of the SWGH condenser and proposes a multiple linear regression model to predict the dehumidification rate of the condenser in the Oman SWGH. Four climatic and operational input variables were considered, including solar irradiance, inlet moist air temperature, inlet humidity ratio, and inlet air mass flow rate. The results showed that the model accurately predicts the dehumidification rate when compared against experimental values [a mean predictive error (PE) = −0.127 kg/h and root mean square error (RMSE) = 4.691 kg/h]. The model also outperformed some other model in several accuracy indicators such as PE, mean absolute predictive error, RMSE, R², index of agreement and fractional variance.

Fish drying is one of the traditional methods where the fishermen land their catch on the beaches for drying traditionally under sun for several days. Dried fish provides valuable and economical sources of animal protein. The quality of dried fish is significantly influenced by the presence of microorganisms. Therefore, this study aims to determine the physical quality changes in anchovy under three different solar drying methods which are open sun drying (OSD), solar greenhouse tunnel dryer (GTD), and forced convective solar dryer (FCD) and to verify the chemical and microbial contamination in solar-dried anchovy. About (20 kg) of fresh anchovy were taken for experiments. Quality analyses were conducted in the samples before, during, and after drying. The parameters analyzed included three main analyses which are physical, chemical, and microbial analyses. The drying rate was higher in GTD compared to the two other methods. Moisture content, drying rate, and moisture ratio were significantly affected by drying methods. GTD required less time (6 hr) to dry anchovies compared to other drying methods (9 hr time). The highest reduction in lightness is in GTD dried anchovies followed by FCD and OSD. The drying methods and drying time statistically affect the lightness (L) of dried anchovies ( ). The water activity of solar-dried anchovies was 0.3. Experimentally dried anchovies were found to have lower microbial count compared to the dried fish quality standards. The total viable count (TVC) in fresh anchovy was 6.44 log CFU/g compared to the greenhouse tunnel dryer 2.90 log CFU/g, open sun dryer 4.16 log CFU/g, and forced convective dryer 4.19 log CFU/g anchovies. Water activity and moisture content did not affect total viable count (TVC) significantly, but it affects total fungal count (TFC) ( ). There was a significant difference on Krusal Wallis between the samples of three methods of drying and a fresh one on the water activity, ash content, and fat content ( ).