This research focuses on developing an innovative Indirect Solar Dryer (ISD) incorporating paraffin wax and glass pieces as Thermal Storage Material (TSM) within the solar collector towards sustainable food preservation for future usage. Experiments were conducted using three distinct configurations of solar dryers: one with glass pieces and paraffin wax, another with glass pieces only, and a third without TSM. Additionally, conventional Open Solar Drying (OSD) was examined for comparison. Comparative analyses were performed on drying kinetics and energy efficiency. Results from the drying kinetics demonstrated a significant decrease in the Moisture Content (MC) of turmeric, from 84.2 % (w.b.) to 8.3 % (w.b.) within 29 h employing the configuration incorporating paraffin wax and glass pieces as TSM. Furthermore, this same configuration exhibited the highest dryer efficiency of 68.3 %. In addition to drying kinetics, Moisture Ratio (MR) was forecasted using twelve drying mathematical models, with the logarithmic model producing the most accurate forecasts (χ2 = 0.0009843 and R2 = 0.9782). Colour and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analyses have been investigated to assess the quality of the dried turmeric specimens. The configuration utilizing glass pieces and paraffin wax as integrated TSM yielded the best colour quality. FTIR spectroscopy investigation discovered peaks of the C-H Stretch within the range of 2830–2900 cm−1 in the ISD configuration spectrum, whereas these peaks were absent in the OSD spectrum, indicative of uneven drying in OSD. Based on these experimental findings, the designed ISD configuration with integrated glass pieces and paraffin wax TSM demonstrates effective results in reduced drying time and improved food specimen quality. It suggests that the proposed ISD configuration could serve as a sustainable and preferable method for drying in various industries.