INFLUENCE OF THE HEATING AGENT TEMPERATURE ON THE KINETICS OF THE CONVECTIVE DRYING PROCESS AND THE CONTENT OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN APPLE POMACE

An environmentally ecological approach to the reuse of agro-industrial products in the food industry involves extracting biologically active substances or using them as supplementary products rich in dietary fibers. Apple pomace obtained after juice extraction presents a product rich in biologically active substances, soluble and insoluble fibers, organic acids, and minerals. Convective drying of apple pomace is an alternative method for long-term preservation by maintaining the biologically active substances. The research aimed to study the influence of temperature in the range of 60-80 °C on the drying of apple pomace to a final moisture content of 12.0±0.13% using the convective method, and the effect of temperature on the yield of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in Gold Delicious apple pomace. Changing the air temperature during convective drying from 60 to 80 °C reduced the drying time by 1.6 times and demonstrated a 1.4-fold increase in drying rate. The increase in the thermal agent's temperature led to an increase in the kinetic characteristic values; KI values increased by 4%, and KII values increased by 44%. Spectrophotometric analysis demonstrated that apple pomace dried at a temperature of 70 °C had the highest total content of polyphenols, tannins, and carotenoids. Thus, the convective drying method of apple pomace in the temperature range of 60-80 °C exerts a significant influence on the composition of biologically active compounds in the apple pomace composition.