Chapter 1
The Problem and its Background
The Introduction
Fish is the popular vital source of food all part of the world. It gives several nutrients such as minerals and vitamins that keep our body fit and healthy. It is also a source of a 16% highly quality protein which our body needs. It is affordable, and also has substantial social and economic importance. Fish are highly perishable and as a result, it needs special handling or processing for preservation since ancient time.
There are many different fishery processed products made in fish and alike that we can see and acquire in the local market. Among of these products we commonly see is the Dried Fish or Tuyo (Local Name), which is a popular meal served in the dining table of every families around the world. And the good taste of dried fish is now also served in many restaurants and hotels in the recipe as their special menu. As a traditional way of preserving, most of the marginal sector in every country preserved the fish by the fisherman to avoid the spoilage and become Dried Fish is through the traditional method. On the other hand, Fish Drying is a preservation method that removes water content from the fish through physiological process called osmoregulation. It is an essential process applied to remove moisture and extend the life span of fish without refrigeration. It also prevents growth and reproduction of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts, and molds causing decay of the products which is sometimes encountered by the dried fish producers. It also mediated most of the moisture of the fish that brings the effective reductions in weight and volume of the fish. Likewise, it is the most popular, primitive, low-cost, and widely used fish preservation methods that have been practiced all over the world by the ancestors from past decades until present time. (S. Sultana, 2009)
During the rate of drying, there are several factors that influence the Constant-Rate Drying of a fish as follows; Relative humidity (RH) – or the amount of water vapor present in the air expressed as percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature. It also describes the amount of water vapor in the area as opposed to how much water vapor could be in the area. The lower humidity percentages brings higher possibilities that will make a greater ability to absorb water and faster of rate of drying. Temperature which is measured on how hot or cold is the air and the most commonly measured weather parameter. Air velocity that is often referenced in thermal design. It is also the movement of the air around the certain object over the time. During drying time, the three layers of air around the fish which helps to dry the fish are Stationary Level is the air which is very close to the fish, second is the Slowly Moving Layer which is the next air after the fish been saturated, and Outer Turbulent Layer, the third one which is a higher air speed. Lastly, the Surface Area of the fish which affects the settlement and presence of bacteria that may cause spoilage and gives a lot of contributions to the rate of drying fish in terms of decreasing weight and thickness. (Dagoon et. al. 2005)
There are many forms of dryer that are being used in agricultural and fishery sector. It has been developed and industrialized throughout the years. They improved and customized to make a better outcome way of drying thru the creation of new different dryers from different approaches, methods, design and techniques. However, these enhancements and developments, Falling-Rate Drying of fish always took effect the constant rate or the moisture content of the fish.
Hii C.L. et. al. (2012) cited in the study of Keey (1980) The Constant-Rate Drying of a fish is the movement within the solid which is rapid enough to maintain a saturated condition at the surface, and the rate of drying is controlled by the heat transferred to the evaporating surface.
Treybal (1980) as cited by Hii C.L. et al. (2012) Falling-Rate Drying of a fish begins at the critical moisture content that is when the constant-rate drying of a fish ends. There are two zones of Falling-Rate Drying of a fish, one is the zone of unsaturated surface drying and the second one is the zone where internal moisture movement controls.
Nowadays, some of the dried fish processors are suffering from the Falling-Rate Drying on fish drying due to lack of knowledge and ideas on how they will prevent this period. With these scenarios, their by-products will arise into different problems in terms of Low Quality and Spoilages that come up into lower output. Therefore timely for the fisher folks and dried fish producers to have knowledge on fish preservation or “Fish Processing/Value Adding” and to develop a Fish Dryer with additional new technologies that will help to monitor and control the environment of the Dried Fish.
Background of the Study
Lantican (2001), Marinduque has no very pronounced maximum rain period, with a short dry season lasting only from one to three months, either during the period from December to February or from March to May. This climate type resembles type I (one) since it has a short dry season
Most of fish cured in rural villages is sun-dried. The spoilage rates are very high, particularly when the fish are laid on or close to the ground and when they are not protected from dust, flies or rain showers. Fish dryers could eliminate much of this spoilage. This would also speed up the process and give better quality of the dried product. Advantages are numerous and their cost-benefits are evident.
A fish dryer is a simple piece of equipment. It is constructed either wood or bamboo and covered with plastic or glass. The advantages of the covered dryer will increase the heat and consequent faster and more thorough drying. It will prevent the total exclusion of flies and beetles and consequent total elimination of maggot infestation that caused faster spoilage. And lastly, no need to cover fish during rain showers which can be frequent near mountains and in seashores.
Through these, the development and innovation of different technology arises and the automation of everything in the surrounding gives huge impact into daily living and to the society as a whole. As result of different investigations on the methods of fish drying, improvement and development of fish dryer can also apply by means of using new technologies that will monitor and control the humidity and temperature from its drying environment. Most of all, the fish dryer will help the segment of producers in a long period of fish drying through the additional technologies embedded to have a faster rate of drying.
Through the initiative and investigation conducted by the proponents/researchers the development of fish dryer with temperature, humidity and time-based control system will be designed and created, for ease in preparing Dried Fish while still meeting parameters in fish drying. This would bring an accurate and exact moisture content that will make the fish easy to cook. Therefore, once it was built many of the marginalized fisher folks especially those in the Fish Processing Industry will benefit in project. Furthermore, the results of this study could be a great help in promoting dried products in the province yielding more end products. This can also help in developing now drying systems for other raw products aside from the raw files. As a whole, the end-up prototype can help in mass producing dried fish that can be utilized in exporting global dried fishes.
Statement of the Problems
The research aims to design a fish dryer to control and monitor the environment of the dried fish. Specifically, this sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the overall design and structure of the system? 2. What is the suitable time duration needed to achieve acceptable moisture loss? 3. What is the suitable temperature and humidity to achieve acceptable moisture loss? At a) 8 hours b) 9 hours c) 10 hours d) 11 hours respectively durations 4. How efficient is the system in maintaining suitable temperature and humidity for fish drying at specified time duration. 5. What is the acceptability of the dried fish product produced in the developed fish dryer? In terms of; a. Volume and size b. Color c. Texture
Objective of the Study The main objective of this research is to design and develop an automated fish dryer that will control and monitor the humidity and temperature to help the dried fish producers specially when there is a rapid change of weather conditions, and to avoid low throughput and spoilage. Specifically, this research aim to: 1. Determine the overall design and structure of the system. 2. Determine the suitable time duration needed to achieve the acceptable moisture loss. 3. Determine the suitable temperature and humidity in achieving the acceptable moisture loss at different given time durations. 4. Determine the efficiency of the system in maintaining suitable temperature and humidity for fish drying at specified time duration. 5. Determine the acceptability of the dried fish product produced in the developed fish dryer, in terms of volume and sizes, color, and texture.
Significance of the Study This research is concerned with the development of fish dryer with temperature, humidity and time-based control system to support and help the following beneficiaries;
Dried Fish Producers. This will directly benefit specially the small and large scale dried fish producers from coastal communities in the province of Marinduque in adopting the technology of the developed Fish Dryer. It will also provide additional dried fish produced or made in a short period of time.
The Fisher Folks. This will also help the fisher folks to get some ideas in avoiding the spoilage and preventing the dried fish from different threats that can cause failure of drying, like rapid changes of weather conditions, rain, insects, animals and etc.
The Consumers. This will help the consumers to buy the dried fish products produced by the developed fish dryer which have a high quality rate. Further, the end-process will end up a healthier and sanitize due to the systematized research prototype lowering the attraction of flies close and other bacteria carrying insects.
The Industry. This will help the industry to adopt some of the features of the developed fish dryer for enhancing their fish dryer. And the research was conducted to improve their dryer by adding new technologies that will help for maintaining the temperature and humidity of the environment of the dried fish.
Future Researchers and Developers. This will help the future researchers who will conduct a research related to the development of drying system not just for fishes. To service the future researchers to have an idea that computer did not only solve computer problems but it can also apply and solve the problems through automation like fish drying.
Scope and Limitation of the Study This research encompasses fish drying, and development of the fish dryer with temperature, humidity and time-based control system. The researchers will choose the dried fish producers who live along the coastal areas of Marinduque specifically in Barangay Balogo, Santa Cruz as evaluator of the system and the finish products. Fish sizing of 3 - 4 inches will be used as the test subject of the study since it is the most commonly used by the dried fish producers due to its local availability. This will focus in controlling and monitoring the temperature and humidity present in the dryer. The estimated size of the developed fish dryer will be 2 feet wide, 3 feet long, and 4 feet high.
However, this research will not focus in preventing the threats from animals and insects that can possibly affect the drying process and the dried fish. The fish to be dried is limited up to maximum weight of three kilograms. The fishes to be dried are to be sliced into their belly portion in order to achieve a faster drying rate. The arrangement of the fish in the dryer will not be automated together with obtaining the finish products. Rabbitfish or Samaral or Tilis (Local name: Danggit) will be used as sample for drying but other seafood creatures, fruits, vegetables, crops, and etc. are not included. Checking the rate of drying of the fish dryer will be started after 8, 9, 10, and 11 hours. The testing of acceptability of the moisture loss of the fish and the product quality will be test per piece of sample.

Development of Temperature and Humidity Control System for Fish Dryer

A Thesis
Presented to the
Faculty of School of Engineering
Marinduque State College

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

By:

RENJAY M. ELEGADO
JAYMAR R. REGENCIA

July 7, 2015