Effect of Different Drying Methods and Storage Time on Quality of Roselle Calyxes (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Plants

This research was conducted during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and the aim of the research was to study the effect of each of the different drying methods (drying in the shade, direct sunlight, electric ovens, and solar dryer) and the different storage periods (0, 2, 4 and 6 months) on the quality of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) for both variety cultivars Sabhia 17 Dark and Sabhia 17 Light. The results showed that the method of drying in the shade gave the best results for most of the characterizes studied for both varieties of the both seasons, and the results for the different storage times did not differ significantly between them, especially the calyxes content of the two varieties of TPC, DPPH% and TFC. On the other hand the chemical composition data of roselle observed about the light variety is rich in ascorbic acid, TFC and TPC, while the dark variety is rich in the total anthocyanin content (490 mg / 100g DWS).