Application of immersion pre-treatments and drying temperatures to improve the comprehensive quality of pineapple (Ananas comosus) slices

Drying of pineapple slices combined with different pre-treatments was done to reduce various adverse changes by adding satisfactory value. Process optimization was done by dipping the pineapple slices in four different solutions (1% trehalose, 2% NaCl, 10% sucrose, and 10% fructose) before drying. The effects of different pre-treatments and drying temperatures of 50, 55, and 60 °C with a constant 30% relative humidity (RH) were optimized based on the quality attributes, drying time and microbial load of dried pineapple slices. The optimal drying temperature was 55 °C using 1% trehalose pre-treatments based on the physical and biochemical properties. The reconstituted dried pineapples implied at this condition, contributed to the better structure preservation as indicated by the lower shrinkage (0.21) and the higher Coefficient of Rehydration (0.941), and rehydration ratio (6.840). On the other hand, the retention of color, vitamin C, B vitamins, and antioxidant activity of the samples were decreased by increasing drying time and temperatures. The highest Total Phenolic Content (121.02 mg GAE/100g), Total Flavonoid Content (8.72 mg QE/100g), and DPPH radical scavenging activity (7.22 EC(50) g/100g) were found at 60 °C drying temperature with 10% fructose pretreatment's samples. The lowest drying time required was 7.64 h using 2% NaCl pre-treatment at 60 °C, considering the time required to reach 20% moisture content in the dried product at 30% RH. Based on the reported results, it is concluded that 1% trehalose at 50 °C can be used to develop high quality pineapple snacks, which maintained the maximum desired physicochemical and nutritious properties. This study could play an essential role in meeting the emerging demand of developing good quality nutritious dried pineapple snacks.