Polishing Philippine gold

DRUM DRYING is the process of producing fruit flakes using fresh mango, banana, or makapuno. The process removes moisture from pastes, purees, and liquids using a dryer with a rotating heated drum. During processing, the equipment is set at low temperature to retain the raw material’s organoleptic properties, such as color, aroma, and taste.

The resulting product is crunchy, crisp, shelf-stable, and possesses characteristic color, aroma, and flavor of the fruit.

Drum-drying technology preserves the natural state of the product’s raw ingredients; it also prolongs its usefulness or shelf life. In addition, it eases and speeds up preparation of food, a convenience feature favored by most consumers.

Benefits/Uses. Consumers are becoming more health conscious, such that more and more companies are developing/innovating on products suited for different lifestyle needs. Drum drying of mango, banana, or makapuno allows local food processors to expand product offerings and tap the health and wellness market.

To date, there is no known locally fabricated drum drying equipment available in the Philippines. Technology adopters will have to purchase/import foreign-made drum dryers for their commercial-scale production. Resulting products of drum drying technology may be marketed as healthy snack food alternatives for all ages or as intermediate material or ingredient into several consumer products, such as ice creams, juices, and confectionaries. The growing demand for food products with longer shelf life and seasonal products across the year is driving the growth of the dehydrated food market.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

The Philippines has been an important player in the fresh and dried fruits global market since the 1980s. Exports took off in the 1990s, accounting for an average of 10 percent of world fresh and dried mango trade. Leading processors, which are locally-owned firms, started their businesses in the mid-1970s and, with the exception of the past years given low yields, have been steadily gaining access to regional and global markets. The Philippines is the seventh largest exporter of mango worldwide. With USD91 million in total mango exports in 2015, the country contributed 4 percent to globally traded supply, including fresh and dried mango. The country’s competitiveness in the world market is most influenced by its export variety quality; the native Carabao variety is considered one of the finest and sweetest mangoes in the world.

During the period January to March 2018, production of mango dropped by 9.4 percent, from 107.83 thousand MT in 2017 to 97.70 thousand MT this year. The decrease could be attributed to the incidence of cecid fly, capsid bug, and other fruit flies, and late flowering of trees in the provinces of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, and Zambales.

Ilocos Region topped the mango producing regions, contributing 55.6 percent to the national total production. Central Luzon ranked second with 18.2 percent share and Western Visayas, 6.2 percent. Carabao mango comprised 81.8 percent of total mango output this quarter.

For the period January to March 2018, production of banana went up by 2.1 percent from 2.10 million MT in 2017 to 2.14 million MT this year. This was brought about by the following: - Increased area planted to banana, increased number of bearing hills, and bigger bunches harvested in Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur provinces due to sufficient rainfall and increased fertilizer use; - Initial harvesting from additional bearing hills and expanded area of production by Del Monte Banana Plantation and other corporate farms in Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon provinces,