Effects of Infrared Drying Conditions and Maltodextrin Addition on Some Physicochemical Characteristics of Avocado (Persea americana) Pulp Powder

Abstract

In this study, avocado pulp with a good nutritional profile and economic value was dehydrated using infrared drying to produce pulp powder, which shows potential application in nutritional supplements. An experimental design with two factors, namely maltodextrin level (0% and 9%) and infrared temperature (ranging from 65 to 80 °C), was used. Responses related to the physicochemical properties of the resulted powder were observed, including peroxide value, total polyphenols, total chlorophylls, antioxidant activity, and color parameters (L*, a*, and b* values). The quality of dried products may be harmed by drying either at a high temperature or for an extended period of time. The coating substance maltodextrin was found to be beneficial in limiting unexpected changes in avocado pulp subjected to infrared drying. The highest quality of dried avocado could be obtained via infrared drying of avocado pulp with 9% maltodextrin at 70 °C, as illustrated by the exceptional retention of total polyphenols, total chlorophylls, and antioxidant activity, being 95.1, 95.2, and 94.4%, respectively. Moreover, the short drying time (35–55 min) led to the minimization of lipid oxidation and the absence of peroxide compounds in all samples.

Comparison of Phytochemical Contents, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Various Solvent Extracts Obtained from ‘Maluma’ Avocado Pulp Powder

“…They concluded that the peels and seeds of two avocado varieties, namely, "Hass" and "Fuerte" contain higher amounts of phenolics and antioxidant activity than the avocado pulp, and they have moderate activity against Gram-positive bacteria [28]. In a recent study, the powdered "Maluma" avocado pulp with the highest retention of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities was successfully produced using the infrared technique [29]. Infrared drying was considered an innovative technique that brings more benefits in the implementation and high retention of dried product quality [30,31].…”

Kinetics of Cucurbita Moschata Puree Drying with Maltodextrin as Drying Aid

“…The addition of maltodextrin was also reported retained food color of the dried product [2], reduce the stickiness of product and improve the flow characteristics of dried powder [3]. Maltodextrin is applied in production of tamarind powder [3], avocado pulp powder [2] and asparagus powder [4]. Those researches reported the beneficial of the application of maltodextrin in fruit and vegetables pulp drying thus the application of maltodextrin in other type of fruit and vegetables pulp drying is need to be studied.…”

“…The experimental data was used to validate the thin layer drying kinetics models (Table 1) and the RSS was calculated according to Eq 2. 𝑅𝑆𝑆 = (𝑀𝑅 𝑝𝑟𝑒,𝑖 − 𝑀𝑅 𝑒𝑘𝑠,𝑖 ) 2 [2 Table 1. Drying kinetics models…”

“…Research and innovation on drying as one of preservation method are numerous and gaining interest since it intended to prolong food shelf life and provide varied products. Application of drying process also impacts on minimization of its transportation, storage, as well as packaging cost while preserving food nutrients from degradation is the biggest challenge of drying process [1], [2].…”

“…Drying aid such as maltodextrin is reported as a good physical barrier agent in which act in minimizing degradation reactions of bioactive molecules. The addition of maltodextrin was also reported retained food color of the dried product [2], reduce the stickiness of product and improve the flow characteristics of dried powder [3]. Maltodextrin is applied in production of tamarind powder [3], avocado pulp powder [2] and asparagus powder [4].…”