1. Zero Ground Contact From Harvest to Sack
Conventional dried pepper and okra in West African open markets are spread directly on asphalt roadsides, bare soil, or worn tarpaulins — introducing silica sand, stones, vehicle exhaust particulates, insects, and animal contamination that damage industrial milling equipment and fail export audits.
At TKT Foods, produce harvested across our Takuma and Mokwa outgrower network moves directly into sanitized, ventilated high-density plastic crates and never touches bare ground at any point in our chain.
2. Potable Multi-Stage Washing & Stainless Preparation
- Sorting & Grading: Fresh Habanero, Scotch Bonnet (Ata Rodo), Shombo, and tender green Okra pods are hand-inspected upon arrival; bruised, over-mature, or blemished pods are rejected prior to washing.
- Clean Water Wash: Accepted produce undergoes multi-stage potable water rinsing to remove natural field dust before entering the clean slicing and tray-loading zone.
- Food-Grade Contact Surfaces: Slicing blades, prep tables, and tunnel drying racks utilize non-corrosive food-grade stainless steel mesh — zero rusty wire netting or wooden mats.
3. Sealed UV Parabolic Solar Tunnel Dehydration
Loaded stainless mesh racks roll into enclosed UV-stabilized polycarbonate parabolic solar tunnels equipped with solar-powered DC extraction fans. Controlled thermal convection (48°C–60°C) sweeps humid air out continuously while blocking dust, rain, birds, and insects.
Because UV-filtered polycarbonate blocks harsh bleaching radiation, red peppers retain vibrant capsaicinoids and natural red oils, while sliced okra preserves its natural chlorophyll green colour and mucilage ("draw").
4. Mycotoxin & Aflatoxin Prevention
Aflatoxin and ochratoxin contamination occur when high-moisture crops sit damp for 7–12 days during open-sun drying. By completing dehydration in 36–48 hours down to <10.0% moisture for peppers and <9.0% moisture for okra, TKT Foods drops water activity below fungal growth thresholds — delivering clean, shelf-stable stock for 18–24 months.
5. Pre-Dispatch Lab Verification & 250g Buyer Samples
Every tunnel batch is verified with calibrated digital moisture probes before hermetic inner-liner bagging. Institutional buyers are encouraged to request a 250g QA Evaluation Sample to run independent moisture, ash-insoluble-in-acid (sand/grit), Scoville heat, and microbial tests prior to bulk off-take.