Effect of juice concentration on storage stability,betacyanin degradation kinetics,and sensory acceptance of red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juice concentration on betacyanin degradation kinetics and sensory acceptance. The samples stored at 4°C were comparatively stable compared to 25°C in terms of betacyanin retention, and yeast and mold growth. The loss of betacyanin in red-fleshed dragon fruit juice and concentrate at 25, 37, and 45°C were of first-order reaction. The drink reconstituted from red-fleshed dragon fruit concentrate showed better acceptability in terms of sweetness, flavor, and overall acceptability. The current study demonstrated improved betacyanin retention and sensory acceptance of red-fleshed dragon fruit juice via juice concentration.     

Betacyanins in dragon fruit peels: the kinetic models of their degradation under different treatment conditions

In this study, after purification, the content of betacyanins in dragon fruit peels was 9.22 mg g⁻¹ dry sample. The stability of betacyanins under the effect of different concentration of metal cation (K⁺, Na⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺) solutions and sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose and lactose) solutions was observed. The results showed that 10% lactose and 0.08 mol L⁻¹ potassium chloride solution increased the stability of betacyanins and could be used as stabiliser agents. The degradation reaction under different temperatures (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 °C), pH (2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0) and light conditions (light and dark) of mixed solution (betacyanins and stabiliser), including aqueous pigments solution (APS), lactose pigments solution (LPS) and potassium chloride pigments solution (PCPS), accorded with the first-order reaction kinetics. The t_1/2 values (the hours needed for 50.0% degradation of betacyanins) of LPS even up to 330.0 h at 20 °C and dark condition.     

Stability of betacyanin from red pitahaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and its potential application as a natural colourant in milk

The effects of temperature (30, 50, 85 and 100 °C) treatment and 10 weeks of refrigerated storage (4 °C) on the betacyanin content and colour stability of betacyanins from red pitahaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) were investigated and compared to red beet (Beta vulgaris; E‐162) which was used as a control. Temperature treatment at 50 and 85 °C caused a greater reduction in betacyanin content (BC) in E‐162 compared to red pitahaya by inducing changes in betacyanin profile. The 10 weeks of refrigerated storage at 4 °C induced colour changes in betacyanins from red pitahaya and E‐162. In milk, betacyanins from red pitahaya presented a lower loss of BC and total colour changes (ΔE*) compared to E‐162. The microbial onset in milk containing betacyanins from red pitahaya and E‐162 was delayed up to day 5 of refrigerated storage at 4 °C compared to day 3 in plain milk. Milk containing betacyanins from red pitahaya showed better colour acceptability (3.89 ± 1.89) compared to E‐162 (6.10 ± 1.71). Hence, betacyanins from red pitahaya may be a potential natural functional colourant to simulate strawberry colour in milk.     

Application of simulation in determining suitable operating parameters for industrial scale fluidized bed dryer during drying of high impurity moist paddy

A systematic approach has been developed for selecting the suitable drying parameters to be used for drying of high moisture and high impurity paddy with an industrial fluidized bed paddy dryer (10–20 t h⁻¹ capacity) based on targeted specific air flow rate and residence time during two typical paddy drying seasons. A mathematical model was developed by modifying an existing model and was simulated and validated with observed industrial drying data as well as data reported in the literature. Comparison between the observed and simulated results showed that the mathematical model is capable of predicting outlet paddy moisture content and air temperature well. Suitable operating parameters were determined for reducing any initial paddy moisture content (mc) down to 24–25% dry basis (db), the safe mc level after fluidized bed drying to maintain rice quality, to achieve maximum possible throughput capacity of the dryer with corresponding energy consumption. Based on these criteria, bed thickness at 10 cm, specific air flow rate of 0.05 kg kg⁻¹ s⁻¹ (for corresponding bed air velocity of 2.3 m s⁻¹), air temperature of 150 °C and residence time of 1.0 min were found to be suitable drying conditions for reducing paddy mc from 30 to 24.30% (db) in one season while the maximum throughput capacity of 15.7 tonne per hour (t h⁻¹) might be achieved. The specific electrical and thermal energy were 0.48 and 6.15 MJ kg⁻¹ water evaporated, respectively. On the other hand, the dryer capacity was found to be limited to 7.4 t h⁻¹ during drying paddy of higher initial mc (35% db). This approach might provide easy and comprehensive guidelines for selecting suitable sets of operating parameters for any industrial fluidized bed dryer at its possible maximum throughput capacity for drying of freshly harvested high moist paddy with a high level of impurities.     

Thermal degradation of betacyanins in juices from purple pitaya [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hylocereus polyrhizus</Emphasis> (Weber) Britton &; Rose] monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectometric analyses

Changes in betacyanin content and colour shade of juices from purple pitaya [Hylocereus polyrhizus (Weber) Britton & Rose] as affected by thermal processing and consecutive cold storage to allow pigment reconstitution were investigated. Pigments from purple pitaya displayed higher stability than earlier investigations on betalains suggested. A novel high-performance liquid chromatography method was established, allowing simultaneous detection of genuine pigments of purple pitaya juice together with their degradation products. In addition to previously described betanin cleavage products (betalamic acid, cyclo-dopa 5-O--glucoside) further degradation products generated after decarboxylation and/or dehydration of phyllocactin and hylocerenin, respectively, were found. Moreover, neobetanin was identified as a thermal degradation product of betanin for the first time. With this newly developed high-performance liquid chromatography method, heating of purple pitaya juice and a commercial pitaya juice concentrate was proven by the detection of thermal betacyanin degradation products that had not been described, so far.     

Spray drying of red (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and white (Hylocereus undatus) dragon fruit juices: physicochemical and antioxidant properties of the powder

This study aims to investigate physical stability and antioxidant properties of spray‐dried red (Hylocereus polyrhizus) and white (Hylocereus undatus) dragon fruit powder upon storage at various relative humidity (RH). Inlet air temperatures of 120 °C (red dragon fruit) and 110 °C (white dragon fruit) as well as maltodextrin concentration of 30% (w/v) were selected as the spray drying conditions as powder was obtained at these minimum conditions. The powder was ranging from 3 to 7 μm in particle size with spherical morphology. The powder had lower antioxidant content and antioxidant activities compared with the control before spray drying. Storage of powder at 43%, 54% or 75% RH at 25 °C for 25 days resulted in structural changes correlating to the depression of glass transition temperatures (T_g) to below storage temperature. At 33% RH, no visible structural changes were observed. Antioxidant properties of the powder remained unchanged after 25 days' storage at the studied RHs.     

Production of a red–purple food colorant from Opuntia stricta fruits by spray drying and its application in food model systems

Opuntia stricta fruit juice is a potential source of betacyanin pigments which can be used as a natural red-purple food colorant. In this work a powder food colorant was obtained by co-current spray drying of O. stricta fruit juices with a bench-scale two fluid nozzle spray dryer. Glucose syrup (DE 29) was used as drying aid. Optimum conditions for spray drying were as follow: juice content (20% v/v; 1.2 °Brix), glucose syrup content (10% w/v), liquid feed rate (0.72 l/h), spray air flow-rate (0.47 m³/h), drying air flow-rate (36 m³/h), and inlet drying air temperature 160 °C. Color was retained during the drying process (>98%) and drying yield was high (58%). The powder colorant showed high color strength (4.0), being this color strength stable when stored at room temperature for one month. This colorant was successfully applied in two food model systems: a yogurt and a soft-drink. Food presented a vivid red-purple tonality very attractive for consumers that was maintained after one month under refrigeration (4 °C) (ΔE < 5).     

Experimental study on drying of pear slices in a convective dryer

The experiments were conducted on pear slices with thickness of 5 mm at temperatures of 50, 57, 64 and 71 °C with an air velocity of 2.0 m s^?1. Prior to drying, pear slices were pretreated with citric acid solution (0.5% w/w, 1 min, 20 °C) or blanched in hot water (1 min, 85 °C). Also, the untreated samples were dried as control. The shortest drying time of pear slices was obtained with pretreatment with citric acid solution. It was observed that whole drying process of pear slices took place in a falling rate period. Four mathematical models were tested to fit drying data of pear slices. According to the statistical criteria (R², χ² and RMSE), the Midilli et al. model was found to be the best model to describe the drying behaviour of pear slices. The effective diffusivity of moisture transfer during drying process varied between 8.56 × 10^?11 and 2.25 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, while the activation energy of moisture diffusion in pear slices was found to be 34.95–41.00 kJ mol^?1.     

Effect of rotating tray drying on antioxidant components,color and rehydration ratio of tomato saladette slices

A rotating tray drier was built and controlled for drying of tomato slices at different temperatures (45, 50 and 60 °C) and air velocities (0.6 and 1.2 m s^?1) with and without tray rotation. Drying curves were fitted using the Page mathematical model. Effective diffusivities for the different drying conditions correlated well with the chemical composition variables; lycopene, ascorbic acid and total polyphenols (TPP). The effect of drying conditions over quality of dried tomato slices was evaluated by quantifying their contents of lycopene, ascorbic acid and TPP, and measuring their color and rehydration ratio. The best drying conditions were 60 °C drying temperature and 0.6 m s^?1 air velocity with the use of tray rotation. These conditions minimized the degradation of lycopene (2.9%), ascorbic acid (17.3%) and TPP (2.1%) during drying. Tray rotation has a contribution on the a* color value, as well as on the lycopene and ascorbic acid concentrations (5% significance level).     

Mathematical modeling of thin-layer drying kinetics and moisture diffusivity study of apple slices using infrared conveyor-belt dryer

The drying features of apples at different infrared drying settings were investigated. The drying time, moisture-effective diffusion, and activation energy of infrared dried apples were measured experimentally and statistically as a function of slice thicknesses, radiation intensity, and air velocity. The infrared intensity of 0.225, 0.130, and 0.341 W/cm², slice thicknesses of 6, 4, and 2 mm, and airflow of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m/s were used to dry apple slices. The data shows that the drying time reduced as IR increased, but airflow and slice thickness increased. Eight statistical factors were used to compare 11 alternative mathematical drying models. The experimentally acquired drying curves were matched to the thin-layer drying equations. According to the calculations, the Midilli et al. equation had the greatest (efficiency and R²) and lowest (χ², sum of squared errors, standard error of estimate, standard error, standard deviation of difference) values. As a result, this equation is the best for modeling the drying curves of apple slices across all drying circumstances. The optimum moisture diffusivity value varied from 2.59 to 9.07 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s. The mean activation energy was determined to be 19.02–29.83 kJ/mol under various experimental conditions.     

Ethanol pre-treatment to ultrasound-assisted convective drying of apple

For the first time, the ethanol as pre-treatment to the ultrasound-assisted convective drying of food was evaluated. Pre-treatments were performed by immersion of apple slices in ethanol (0–30 min). Pre-treated samples were convectively dried (50 °C, 1 m s⁻¹), without/with ultrasound (21.77 kHz, 20.5 kW/m³). As results, if both technologies were considered, conventional drying time reduction reached 70 ± 2%. From drying kinetics modelling, it was identified that ethanol pre-treatments mainly reduced the external resistance to mass transfer, while ultrasound had a greater influence on the internal one. In dried samples, as the ethanol pre-treatment time increased, the shrinkage decreased, and their rehydration capacity was greater. After rehydration, samples showed a decrease of >85% in viscoelastic characteristics. The antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content were better retained with ultrasound application. The obtained results corroborate that the proposed technologies are complementary significantly accelerating the drying without negative effects on physical properties.     

The drying kinetics of kale (Brassica oleracea) in a convective hot air dryer

The effect of air temperature and sample thickness on the drying kinetics of kale was investigated using a convective air dryer at a fixed airflow rate of 1 m/s and drying air temperatures of 30, 40, 50 and 60 °C. The sliced kale leaves were dried in wire trays in 10, 20, 40 and 50 mm thick layers. The drying rate increased with drying air temperature but decreased with layer thickness. The effective diffusivity for 10 mm thick layers was found to increase with the drying air temperature and ranged between 14.9 and 55.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s. The effect of temperature on diffusivity could be expressed by an Arrhenius type relationship with a high R² of 0.9989. The activation energy of kale was found to be 36.115 kJ/mol. When four drying models were developed using the experimental data the Modified Page model was found to be marginally better than the other models in estimating the drying curve over the experimental temperature range.     

Effects of microwave and hot‐air drying methods on colour, β‐carotene and radical scavenging activity of apricots

The effects of drying by microwave and convective heating at 60 and 70 °C on colour change, degradation of β‐carotene and the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging activity of apricots were evaluated. Microwave heating reduced significantly the drying time (up to 25%), if compared with convective one, also owing to the higher temperature reached during the last phase of the process, as monitored by infrared thermography. Colour changes of apricot surface, described with lightness and hue angle, in both drying methods followed a first‐order reaction (0.927 ≤ R² ≤ 0.996). The apricots dried by microwave were less affected by the darkening phenomena. The evolution of β‐carotene in fresh apricots (61.2 ± 5.6 mg kg^?1 d.w.) during the drying highlighted a wider decrease (about 50%) when microwave heating was employed for both the temperatures used. Radical scavenging activity increased (P < 0.05) in all dried samples except for hot‐air dried apricots at 60 °C.     

Phenolics, betacyanins and antioxidant activity in Opuntia joconostle fruits

Sour prickly pears (xoconostles) are fruits from Opuntia joconostle cactus, which are cultivated in the central Mexico area. Phenolic and pigment content in various parts of O. joconostle fruits were analyzed. The antioxidant activity of a methanolic extraction and different semi-purified fractions were also evaluated by the DPPH⁺ method. Xoconostle fruits were obtained from a commercial orchard in Mexico State. Fruits were analyzed as whole fruit and each fruit part including pericarp, mesocarp and endocarp. Samples were homogenized and kept at 4 °C until sample preparation. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content varied among the different parts of the fruit. The highest amount of phenolic compounds and total flavonoids content were found in pericarp 2.07 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g fresh weight (FW) and 0.46 mg(+)-catechin equivalents (CE)/g FW respectively. Seven phenolics were identified as protocatechuic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, vanillic and syringic acids, rutin, and quercetin. The color of the fruit parts was mainly due to the presence of betacyanins. The betacyanin concentration was higher in the endocarp (23.03 mg betanin equivalents/100 g fresh weight) than in the pericarp and mesocarp. Betacyanins were identified by HPLC-PDA-MS as betanin, isobetanin, betanidin, isobetanidin, and phyllocactin. Methanolic extracts and semi-purified fractions A (phenolics and flavonols) and B (betacyanins) of xoconostle showed high antioxidant activity mainly in the pericarp. These results suggest that xoconostle is a rich source of antioxidant compounds such as phenolic compounds and betacyanins.     

Effect of Postharvest Treatments on Amaranthus Betacyanin Degradation Evaluated by Visible/Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

ABSTRACT: A visible/near-infrared spectrophotometric method was developed for betacyanin and moisture content in Amaranthus samples. A standard error of prediction (SEP) of 0.25 mg/g for betacyanins ( r ²= 0.97) and 2.18% for moisture ( r ²= 0.99) was obtained on the validation sample set. Effect of 5 postharvest treatments on betacyanin degradation was assessed. Freeze-drying and -18°C frozen storage gave over 97% pigment retention, compared to natural air (52.8%), solar drying (63.5%), air oven drying (61.9 to 83.1%), and 14°C storage (78.3%). Air-drying gave the lowest degradation rate and longest half-life among the solar and oven-drying treatments for 8 h. Dried samples showed good pigment stability with 28.6 mo half-life at 25°C.     

Garlic dehydration inside heat exchanger-evacuated tube assisted drying system: Thermal performance,drying kinetic and color index

An experimental investigation was done on an advanced evacuated tube-assisted solar drying system without and with load conditions at various water flow rates (10 L/h, 20 L/h, and 30 L/h) to evaluate its performance analysis. 79.56 °C maximum greenhouse air temperature was recorded without load at 30 L/h water flow rate with an average solar intensity of 850 W/m². Highest value of drying rate (DR) is 1.48 kgH₂O/kg dry solid/h and the maximum efficiency of solar collector (SC) and solar dryer (SD) is 43.62% and 55.28%, respectively, at 30 L/h water flow rate. Garlic was dehydrating from 70% to 8% (wb) moisture content (MC). The maximum exergy efficiency (EE) and minimum exergy loss were 57.64% at 30 L/h water flow rate and 4.58 W at 10 L/h water flow rate. Quality assessment is also carried out for dried garlic samples in the heat exchanger –evacuated tube assisted drying system (HE-ETADS). Color conservation (indices) of dehydrated garlic sample is best in HE-ETADS (L_o = 60.42, a_o = −0.92, and b_o = 11.54) in comparison to old-style (traditional) drying process (L_o = 58.89, a_o = - 0.67, and b_o = 5.99). Therefore, the developed drying system represented not only good financial returns but also better product quality. The present system provides interesting options for the entry of this type of collectors in medium-scale applications in the agricultural and industrial sectors.     

Development of infrared-assisted hybrid solar dryer for drying pineapple slices: Investigation of drying characteristics,mass transfer parameters,and quality attributes

The research aims to the development and performance evaluation of an infrared-assisted hybrid solar dryer (IR-HSD) for drying pineapple slices. The IR-HSD contains an evacuated tube solar collector, blower assembly, drying chamber, infrared heater, phase change material (PCM) chamber, etc. The study investigates and compares the thermal profiling, drying kinetics, mass transfer parameters and quality attributes of pineapple slices dried using different methods, such as direct drying, phase change material (PCM)-assisted drying, PCM + IR-assisted drying, and sun drying. The average temperatures achieved inside the drying chamber for direct drying and PCM-assisted drying were 60.16 °C and 57.29 °C, respectively, while the temperature reached 60 °C for PCM + IR assisted drying. The average drying rate in PCM + IR drying was higher than in direct and PCM-assisted drying methods. The best-fitting models were the Modified Page model for direct and PCM + IR-assisted drying and the Midilli-Kucuk model for PCM-assisted and sun drying. The higher effective moisture diffusivity for PCM + IR-assisted drying was 2.59 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s, followed by direct and PCM-assisted drying. Similarly, the convective mass transfer coefficient obtained was 1.085 × 10⁻⁷ m/s, 8.321 × 10⁻⁸ m/s, and 1.381 × 10⁻⁷ m/s for direct, PCM-assisted, and PCM + IR-assisted drying, respectively. The superior quality attributes such as total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity were observed in all drying approaches with retention of colour except open sun drying, which decreased significantly. FTIR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of different bioactive, including aromatic compounds, phenols and hydrocarbon functional groups. The infrared-assisted hybrid solar drying of pineapple slices showed a better drying process and quality attributes.     

Saving energy on meat air convection drying with pulsed electric field coupled to mechanical press water removal

The present study analyses the effects of low intensity pulsed electric fields (PEFs), coupled to mechanical press dewatering on meat drying with air convection. Process parameter optimization using Taguchi design showed that the number of pulses had most significant effect on meat dewatering. A maximum effective diffusivity of 2.31 × 10⁻⁹ m² s⁻¹ was observed for PEF assisted drying of chicken meat at 80 °C. An overall energy saving of 933.18 ± 22 J g⁻¹ was observed for drying at 60 °C when the meat was treated with a voltage of 75 V with initial distance between electrodes of 6.917 ± 0.38 mm, pulse length 7 ms, 300 pulses with a frequency of 2 Hz under 125.44 kPa continuous mechanical load. Our study suggests that PEF coupled to mechanical dewatering saves energy in conventional meat drying with air convection. Such a strategy could provide a scalable model for PEF assisted drying of various food products with higher energy efficiency and improved diffusivity.     

An integrated sustainable approach for the development of Kyoho skin functional tea

Kyoho (Vitis labruscana) skin is one of the valuable and eco-friendly agricultural waste and a potential source of phenolic compounds. Therefore, we attempted to develop Kyoho skin functional tea and evaluated its nutritional-functional properties as affected by drying temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60 °C). Kyoho skin functional tea reported negligible protein (0.02 mg g⁻¹), fat (0.04–0.19%) and calories (0.36–0.70 cal g⁻¹). Total phenolic and flavonoid contents ranged from 0.25 to 0.56 mg GAE mL⁻¹ and 0.03 to 0.19 mg QE mL⁻¹, respectively. Kyoho skin functional tea showed functional properties including antioxidant activity (63.33–79.78%) and anthocyanins (0.25–0.34 mg per 100 mL). The sensory evaluation of Kyoho skin functional tea (dried at 40 °C) rated as acceptable (>6) with attractive colour (>6). Overall, these findings recommended the possibility of using Kyoho skin to develop functional teas, which may strengthen the global beverage industries.     

Effect of vacuum‐drying,hot air‐drying and freeze‐drying on polyphenols and antioxidant capacity of lemon (Citrus limon) pomace aqueous extracts

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of freeze‐drying, hot air‐drying and vacuum‐drying at 70, 90 and 110 °C, on dried lemon pomace polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. The total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were higher in lemon pomace dried by hot air or under vacuum than those dried by freeze‐drying and increased as the temperature increased. The highest total flavonoid content was recorded in the pomace dried under vacuum at 70 and 90 °C. Lemon pomace dried by freeze‐drying had the highest neohesperidin content, whereas pomace dried under vacuum at 70 °C had the highest rutin and p‐coumaric acid content. The highest gallic acid content was recorded in the pomace dried by hot air at 110 °C. The results of this study indicate that drying technique should be carefully selected according to the bioactive compounds aimed to be extracted.