WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University professor has succeeded in helping to fight world hunger by giving people the ability to preserve fresh meat and produce before spoiling.

Dr. Klein Ileleji, co-founder and CEO of JUA Technologies, was awarded the Indiana and Great Lakes Region Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Ileleji, a member of Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, has also been recognized as one of the top small business exporters in the nation.

He helped develop what’s called a Solar Food Dehydrator, which dries fruits, vegetables and meat quicker than the traditional method of placing edible products uncovered out in the sun.

The dehydrator, which removes 80 percent of the water, has a plastic tray that’s black to absorb more of the heat from the sun and a tinted plexiglass lid to hold in the heat.

Ileleji said the tinted cover is designed to allow 92 percent of the sun’s solar energy into the box while keeping out elements in the rays that can have a bleaching effect on the color of food and remove some of the nutrients.

He said the lid also protects food from birds and other animals, along with insects, that can be easily drawn to meat and produce left outside on a traditional tray in the open air.

The dehydrator also has vents to allow moisture rising from sun-heated food to escape and to keep the inside of the box from becoming too hot. “It’s a mini greenhouse so to speak,” he said.

The 33 x16 device is five inches deep and weighs five pounds.

Ileleji said larger fruits like strawberries and apples along with vegetables should be sliced for even drying before being placed inside. Smaller produce such as blueberries can be left intact.

He said the dehydrator can save hours in drying but the amount of time depends on location and season. The device should be monitored because of how drying times can vary. “Sometimes the heat being productive dries faster than normal,” he said.

He said the motivation for developing the product was to help with food insecurity across the globe. Ileleji said a lot of food goes to waste, especially in developing countries like Africa and Asia, where a lot of people rely on gardens from 2.5 acres to five acres apiece to feed themselves and their families.

A lot of fresh produce in those areas spoils due to lack of access to electricity to power refrigerators and freezers to extend the life of the food. “A lot of the food we dehydrate, we can store it for over one year without any refrigeration,” he said.

His dehydrators are listed at $139 apiece. Ileleji said people can purchase additional units to dehydrate as much food as they want or need without the expense of a utility bill.

He said the dried foods can also be added to cereals, baby food, smoothies and “all kinds of things.”

Some food once dried can be rehydrated for use in meals at refugee camps and the military. “The opportunities are huge in terms of how we preserve food,” Ileleji said.

Ileleji said only one type of food can be placed into a single tray at a time to avoid the exchange of flavors. “You’re not going to put apples and garlic in the same drying chamber. Your apples will come out garlicky,” he said.

The unit must also be washed before adding a different kind of produce or meat. 

Ileleji said more than 10,000 units on average have been sold each year since they were first offered on the Juatechnology’s website. They can also be acquired on websites like Amazon.com.

Most of the purchases have been from Kenya. So far, Ileleji said sales have occurred in 10 countries and 10 U.S. states.

Ileleji said he feels blessed and appreciates the recognition, but it wouldn’t be possible without outside resources like government grants that helped support four-years of developing, testing and initial marketing of the product.

“It’s an encouraging award in that it can bring some publicity and, hopefully, will help us grow,” he said.