Investigation into Solar Drying of Moroccan Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Fruit: Effects on Drying Kinetics and Phenolic Composition

Abstract

Solar drying is affordable, requiring low energy and an eco-friendly method. Thus, the present paper studies the efficiency and characteristics of the indirect solar convective drying in the fruits of Arbutus unedo L. as well as its effects on the fruit phenolic compounds. The fruit samples were dried at 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C. Phenolic compounds were investigated using a Liquid Chromatography platform. Experimental results revealed that the effective moisture diffusivity determined by Fick’s second law varied from 1.51 × 10−9 to 4.68 × 10−9 m2/s, and the activation energy recorded was 2203.62 kJ/kg. Both the total energy consumption and the specific electrical energy of the dried fruits decreased as temperature increased. The Midilli–Kucuk model was selected as the best-fitted model for drying Arbutus unedo L. Significant effect of temperature on phenolics was observed. The concentration of the phenolic compounds decreased by 15.54, 39, and 40.63% at 60, 70, and 80 °C, respectively.

Effect of Temperatures on Drying Kinetics, Extraction Yield, Phenolics, Flavonoids, and Antioxidant Activity of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl. (Mahkota Dewa) Fruits

“…Considering the values of R 2 , RMSE, and χ 2 , the Midilli and Kucuk model fitted well in the drying curve to predict the drying behaviour of the oven-dried P. macrocarpa fruits. Similar findings previously concluded that the Midilli and Kucuk model was the most well-fitted model to describe the drying behaviour of fruits, such as strawberry [31], papaya [32], and goldenberry [33]. Both the drying constant (k) and the empirical constant (a) for the ovendried P. macrocarpa fruits described by Midilli and Kucuk were shown to be significantly increased with the increasing temperature.…”

Potential effect of fruit and flower extracts of Arbutus unedo L. on Tetrahymena pyriformis exposed to a cobalt-60 source

“…Extracts of this plant are considered an important source of antioxidants, flavonoids, acid derivatives, anthocyanins, carotenoids, vitamins, etc. (Bajoub et al 2023); it would be interesting to explore these properties against the prevention of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated indirectly by ionizing radiation (IR). In fact, IR such as gamma radiation contributes indirectly, through the radiolysis of water, to the appearance of ROS such as superoxide (O2 •-), hydroxyl radicals (HO • ), hydrogen radicals (H • ), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (Şolpan et al 2022).…”