Improvement of Hot Air Dried Bitter Gourd ( Momordica charantia L.) Product Quality: Optimization of Drying and Blanching Process by Experimental Design

Tugce Ozsan Kilic, Ismail Boyar, Keziban Kubra Gungor, Mehmet Torun, Nuriye Altınay Perendeci, Can Ertekin () and Ahmet Naci Onus
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Tugce Ozsan Kilic: Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Ismail Boyar: Department of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Keziban Kubra Gungor: Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Mehmet Torun: Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Nuriye Altınay Perendeci: Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Can Ertekin: Department of Agricultural Machinery and Technologies Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey
Ahmet Naci Onus: Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Akdeniz University, 07070 Antalya, Turkey

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia L.) is a plant species belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, growing in tropical regions and containing health-promoting beneficial compounds. In the current study, bitter gourds prepared for drying were sliced in three different thicknesses (6, 8 and 10 mm) and dried in a hot-air dryer at three different temperatures (60, 70 and 80 °C) to preserve their medicinal efficacy. In the experiments, the samples were subjected to blanching at 93.5 °C and 2% salt water for 0, 2.5 and 5 min, and drying processes were conducted. After the drying process, drying time, total color change (∆E), total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant activity (TAA), and vitamin C properties were examined. The highest levels of TPC and TAA were found at lower drying air temperatures (DATs), and while these values increased with longer blanching times at lower DATs, they decreased with longer blanching times at higher DATs. According to the different drying temperatures used, it was discovered that the total color change peaked at 70 °C and that vitamin C levels declined as DAT rose. The optimal drying conditions for the 3D response surface methodology include 60 °C DAT, a slice thickness of 10 mm, and without blanching to maximize TPC, TAA and vitamin C content and minimize drying time and ∆E.

Keywords: bitter gourd; blanching; slice thickness; hot-air drying; antioxidant activity; total phenolic content; vitamin C; color change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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