1. Introduction
Solar energy represents one of the non-polluting and economical energy sources which are more requested
worldwide. However this energy remains untapped in the south, mainly in the African countries. In the process of crop
production, post harvest treatments are highly requested by thermal means in several food engineering applications. In
fact, heat treatments are preferred because they can avoid the side effects of chemical treatments. Generally these
thermal methods allow food crops to preserve their quality however they are known to be high cost treatments,
especially when a drying process is introduced [1]. So we can consider that solar energy is the best alternative both in
industrial applications and scientific research in the Maghreb countries mainly Algeria [2]. According to FAO-STAT,
Algerian production of potato reached 3290000 tons in 2010. Much of the production comes from south hot climate
oasis areas, so actual practice to save this product is the cold storage. Nevertheless the consumer’s appreciations show
that potato kept in cold stores presents a short lifetime after which it loses its textural firmness. In this view point,