The influence of ethanol on the convective drying and on the nutritional quality of dekopon slices

Abstract

Dekopon or Hallabong (Citrus reticulate “Shiranui”) is a hybrid fruit that belongs to the citrus fruits. The scientific and commercial interests in dekopon is due to its nutritional composition. The objective of the study was to verify the influence of ethanol as a pretreatment in reducing drying time as well as maintaining nutritional quality (vitamin C, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity) of dekopon slices. The drying with ethanol at 70 °C promoted the greatest reduction in drying time, but the processed pretreated samples at 50 °C presented the highest level of nutritional quality parameters. Keywords: drying time; vitamin C; phenolic compounds; antioxidant activity