Effect of oven and intermittent airflow assisted tray drying methods on nutritional parameters of few leafy and non-leafy vegetables of North-East India

Abstract

Given a sizable proportion of bio-resource production in the North-east (NE) India and the need to enhance the shelf life of perishable horticultural regional produce, this work addresses the optimality of inexpensive oven and intermittent airflow assisted tray drying processes for Kolmou (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.), Pui (Basella alba), Jatialao sak (Lagenaria siceraria leaves), Kolphul (Musa balbisiana Colla blossom), Kaskal (Musa splendida), green Komora (Benincasa hispida) and Posola (Musa balbisiana Colla pseudostem) vegetables of NE India. Characterization parameters for process parametric optimality include proximate analysis based evaluation of moisture content, yield, carbohydrate, crude protein, soluble protein, vitamin C, antioxidant activity, ash, crude fibre and fat content. For most vegetables, tray drying process performance is superior in terms of better moisture removal, higher yield and higher anti-oxidant activity. Among all considered samples, tray dried Kolmou possessed highest antioxidant activity. Vitamin C content was seen to be highest in tray dried Komora.

Process‐product characteristics of tray‐dried Benincasa hispida

“…Further, horticultural produce preservation reaps benefits associated to easy transportation and availability irrespective of cultivated season. Such benefits further augment towards the development of ready to consume produces such as soups (Mondal et al, 2019). In summary, Komora has immense potential for commercial utilization as a key ingredient to various value-added products (Mandal et al, 2017).…”

“…of carbohydrate, soluble fiber, vitamin C, vitamin, minerals (Kumar, Mythily, & Chandraju, 2012;Mondal, Rangan, & Uppaluri, 2019), and many bioactive components such as triterpenes, sterols, phenolics, etc. (Gupta & Premavalli, 2010).…”

“…In India, vegetables such as Komora are produced in large quantities. A significant portion of such vegetables is often discarded as waste due to the perishability of the produce and deterioration driven with microbial, physical, chemical, and mechanical effects (Mondal et al, 2019). Moreover, despite having potential nutritional and medicinal characteristics, the vegetable is underutilized and overlooked (Mandal, Nath, & Sahoo, 2017;Mondal et al, 2019).…”

“…A significant portion of such vegetables is often discarded as waste due to the perishability of the produce and deterioration driven with microbial, physical, chemical, and mechanical effects (Mondal et al, 2019). Moreover, despite having potential nutritional and medicinal characteristics, the vegetable is underutilized and overlooked (Mandal, Nath, & Sahoo, 2017;Mondal et al, 2019). Thus, it is apparent that there is a lack of strong scientific evidence and knowledge to preserve such vegetables through inexpensive food preservation techniques, and thereby enhance the economic sustainability of the farmers engaged in their production.…”

“…Other promising features of tray drying process from industrial and commercial perspectives refer to its scalability, lower cost, and energy savings during stationary mode and better product quality in terms of nutritional retention (Mondal et al, 2019). Needless to convey, it is essential to optimize the drying process parameters so as to retain and enhance content of the heat sensitive components such as vitamin C and antioxidants.…”