Study on drying <i>pliek-u</i> by using tunnel dryer type Hohenheim Aceh with new approach solar collector

Abstract Pliek-u is one of Acehnese heritage products that should be preserved due to its nutritious value and special taste. Drying pliek-u by the open sun-drying method had caused low quality of the products. This study aimed to evaluate the use of a solar tunnel dryer type Hohenheim Aceh with a new approach solar collector in drying pliek-u . The dryer has a length of 6m, a width of 2m and 12 trays along the tunnel. About 42kg of fermented coconut endosperm was dried and evaluated. Results showed that the temperature in the drying chamber relatively higher than that of the ambient. Pliek-u was dried in 9.5hrs intermittently in 2days. The quality of pliek-u was very good and had met the quality standards. The incident of decreasing temperature along the tunnel had been solved so that the capacity of the dryer can be implemented by extending the length of tunnel.