Agroindustrial project analysi

Appendix AIllustrative Costs of AlternativeFood-processing TechnologyTHE PURPOSE OF THIS APPENDIX iS to provide the reader with additionalinformation on the costs and operating characteristics ofthree common food-processing technologies: drying, freezing, andcanning. The listed prices of equipment and costs of labor andenergy should, of course, be updated and made site specific by anyanalyst wishing to cost a particular project. The data do, however,provide an idea of the relative orders of magnitude of the costs ofdifferent technological options and a methodology for making suchcalculations.The appendix contains three main tables: A-1, which presents acomparison of different types of dryers (sun, cabinet, tunnel, continuousconveyor, belt trough, freeze, pneumatic conveyor, spray,drum, bin, and kiln); A-2, which compares various freezing methods(air blast, fluidized bed, liquid immersion, spray, and plate); andA-3, which includes different methods of canning (still retort,hydrostatic cooker, hydrolock system, direct flame sterilizer, asepticsterilizer, sterilmatic retort, and orbitant).'Before presenting these comparative tables, I will illustrate themethodology by which costs for the various technologies were developed;the estimated costs and performance data for cabinetdryers will serve as an example. Estimates are based on 1970 costdata given by Porter' and are updated by using the 1977 "M & SEquipment Cost Index." 3 According to these data, the followingtabulation is obtained (all costs are in U.S. dollars):1. The author expresses appreciation to Dr. Sam Yong, who carried out theliterature review for the development of this appendix.2. H. F. Porter, "Gas-Solid Systems," in Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 5thed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973), pp. 20-1 to 20-121.3. In Chemical Engineering, vol. 84, no. 19 (September 12, 1977), p. 7.i62