Solar Drying of Mangoes: Opportunities for Combating Vitamin A Deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) remains a severe health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, causing blindness, illness, and child mortality. In Mozambique, about 69% of children under five are affected, highlighting the short-term impact and donor dependence of supplementation programs. Mangoes (Mangifera indica L.), rich in provitamin A carotenoids, offer a sustainable, food-based strategy to reduce VAD, but their high perishability and postharvest losses of 20-40% limit their impact. This review combined analysis of 21 studies on solar drying of mangoes in Africa with interviews from health directors in three districts of Inhambane Province, Mozambique, to assess both technical and practical aspects of mango utilization. Findings show that improved solar dryers reduce drying time by up to 40 h compared with open-sun drying, achieve safe moisture content below 12%, and retain 60-90% of β-carotene-significantly higher than the 40-55% typical of open-sun methods. One hundred grams of solar-dried mango can meet 60-100% of a child's or 50-70% of a woman's daily vitamin A needs. Despite these advantages, interviews revealed limited community adoption and persistent dependence on supplementation. To bridge this gap, initiatives must enhance training, access to affordable dryers, and policy integration to turn seasonal mango surpluses into sustainable, year-round nutrition solutions.