Solanum nigrum Drying in Shandong

1.Customer Needs

As a major local Chinese medicinal material processing company, the Shandong client has seen its Solanum nigrum processing scale continue to expand in recent years. Traditional air-drying and simple drying equipment are no longer able to meet production needs.

As a highly medicinal herb containing a variety of alkaloids and vitamins, Solanum nigrum places extremely stringent drying requirements. Excessively high temperatures destroy the active ingredients, while excessively low temperatures prevent adequate drying, leading to mold.

The client’s Solanum nigrum yield was significantly insufficient due to continuous rainy weather. Furthermore, the client was highly concerned about energy costs. Traditional coal-fired drying equipment consumes a lot of energy and does not meet environmental standards. The client urgently needed a new, energy-saving and environmentally friendly drying solution.

2.Jinlu Customization

To meet the client’s specific needs, Jinlu Machinery assembled a professional technical team and conducted in-depth on-site research at the client’s production site, ultimately selecting a 20-meter-long, 3-meter-wide, 7-layer biomass pellet mesh belt dryer.

This unconventional design is not simply a scale-up, but is based on in-depth research into the physical properties and drying process of Solanum nigrum. The seven-layer structure enables cascaded heat utilization, significantly reducing energy consumption. The 20-meter length ensures ample residence time for the nightshade in the dryer, ensuring uniform drying.

The equipment uses biomass pellets as a heat source, leveraging abundant local agricultural waste resources while significantly reducing operating costs. A unique air distribution system ensures consistent air speed and volume across all layers, avoiding the uneven drying often seen in traditional drying equipment.

Another highlight of this equipment is its intelligent temperature and humidity control system. The system automatically adjusts temperature and humidity parameters based on the characteristics of the nightshade at different drying stages, ensuring maximum preservation of its active ingredients.

3.Drying Process

Drying nightshade is a sophisticated process that combines traditional expertise with modern technology. Based on in-depth research and extensive testing, Jinlu Machinery has developed a customized, scientific drying process.

During the pre-processing stage, fresh nightshade is crushed and cleaned, then evenly spread on the drying mesh belt, with a thickness of 3-5 cm to ensure uniform ventilation.

The first stage utilizes low-temperature dehumidification, set at 45-50°C for two hours. This stage primarily removes surface moisture while preventing excessive temperatures from causing crusting on the nightshade surface, which would hinder internal moisture evaporation.

The second stage is the critical color-setting and setting period, with the temperature lowered to 50-55°C for three hours. This stage is crucial for preserving the nightshade’s natural color and active ingredients, requiring precise temperature control.

The final stage involves high-temperature sterilization, with the temperature raised to 65-70°C for one hour to ensure product hygiene standards and extend shelf life.

The entire drying process takes approximately six hours, nearly half the time of traditional methods, while significantly improving product quality.

This collaboration between Jinlu Machinery and a Shandong client exemplifies the deep collaboration between equipment manufacturers and traditional Chinese medicine processors. We believe that this ultra-large nightshade-specific dryer, embodying the combined expertise of both parties, will be a significant contributor to the client’s business development. We wish our customers to achieve greater breakthroughs in the deep processing of Solanum nigrum. Jinlu Machinery will take this project as a new starting point, continue to delve into the field of agricultural product drying, promote industrial upgrading with technological innovation, and work with more customers to create a better future!