Effect of different pre‐drying treatments on the quality of dried apple slices

The effect of pre-treatment such as osmotic dehydration (OD), honey immersion (HI), citric acid dipping (CD), steam blanched (SB), and sulfiting in sodium-metabisulfite (SU) of apple slices on physicochemical, sensory and antioxidant properties were studied. Chemical composition, total phenols, Vit (C), antioxidant activities and sensory evaluation were tested for all treatments. Results Showed that SB pre-treatment had the lowest percentage of moisture content and the highest percentage of total soluble solids (TSS). Sulfiting pretreatment had the maximum value of ascorbic acid, total phenolics content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AOA). Sensory evaluation of dried apple slices showed that SU and HI treatments had the best value of taste and texture. Furthermore, HI had the best value of odor, while SU treatment had the best value of color. Future work could look at the possibility of enrobing the apple wedges with coatings (e.g. sodium alginate) to reduce the disadvantages of some treatment.