Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds
The quality of minimally processed fruits and vegetables is essential for consumers’ health and effective marketing. This study investigates the effects of UV-C irradiation, applied alone and combined with various natural antioxidants, on the preservation of bioactive compounds and the colour of deh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | AgriEngineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/6/4/207 |
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| author | Antonio-Fer Ramírez-Fajardo Cristina Martín-Vizcaíno Ignacio Rodríguez-García José Luis Guil-Guerrero |
| author_facet | Antonio-Fer Ramírez-Fajardo Cristina Martín-Vizcaíno Ignacio Rodríguez-García José Luis Guil-Guerrero |
| author_sort | Antonio-Fer Ramírez-Fajardo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The quality of minimally processed fruits and vegetables is essential for consumers’ health and effective marketing. This study investigates the effects of UV-C irradiation, applied alone and combined with various natural antioxidants, on the preservation of bioactive compounds and the colour of dehydrated fruits and vegetables. To achieve this, red peppers, yellow peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and melons were subjected to pre-treatments with natural antioxidants and UV-C before processing using low-temperature airflow (50 °C). The drying kinetics showed typical curves of hygroscopic materials, while the drying time was high due to the low temperature applied. The higher drying rate was found for eggplant, due to its porosity, thus allowing a faster moisture removal. The application of antioxidants and UV-C treatments effectively preserved the colour parameters L*, a*, and b*, while in the case of untreated dried vegetables, a significant worsening of colour parameters was noted. However, most applied pre-treatments had positive effects on bioactive compound losses. The best results were obtained using a combination of UV-C with one antioxidant mix that was composed of vanillin, rosemary, and citrus extracts, and combined with a mixture of olive, onion, garlic, and citric acid extracts, which was highly effective in preserving the colour and bioactive compounds of most dried vegetables. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5dcbca09b5942a38055e3c7f5295c27 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-7402 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AgriEngineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-c5dcbca09b5942a38055e3c7f5295c272024-12-27T14:03:32ZengMDPI AGAgriEngineering2624-74022024-10-01643635365110.3390/agriengineering6040207Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive CompoundsAntonio-Fer Ramírez-Fajardo0Cristina Martín-Vizcaíno1Ignacio Rodríguez-García2José Luis Guil-Guerrero3Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher School of Engineering, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainFood Technology Division, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainOrganic Chemistry Division, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainFood Technology Division, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, SpainThe quality of minimally processed fruits and vegetables is essential for consumers’ health and effective marketing. This study investigates the effects of UV-C irradiation, applied alone and combined with various natural antioxidants, on the preservation of bioactive compounds and the colour of dehydrated fruits and vegetables. To achieve this, red peppers, yellow peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and melons were subjected to pre-treatments with natural antioxidants and UV-C before processing using low-temperature airflow (50 °C). The drying kinetics showed typical curves of hygroscopic materials, while the drying time was high due to the low temperature applied. The higher drying rate was found for eggplant, due to its porosity, thus allowing a faster moisture removal. The application of antioxidants and UV-C treatments effectively preserved the colour parameters L*, a*, and b*, while in the case of untreated dried vegetables, a significant worsening of colour parameters was noted. However, most applied pre-treatments had positive effects on bioactive compound losses. The best results were obtained using a combination of UV-C with one antioxidant mix that was composed of vanillin, rosemary, and citrus extracts, and combined with a mixture of olive, onion, garlic, and citric acid extracts, which was highly effective in preserving the colour and bioactive compounds of most dried vegetables.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/6/4/207UV-C irradiationnatural antioxidantslow-temperature dryingascorbic acidcarotenoidsdrying kinetics |
| spellingShingle | Antonio-Fer Ramírez-Fajardo Cristina Martín-Vizcaíno Ignacio Rodríguez-García José Luis Guil-Guerrero Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds AgriEngineering UV-C irradiation natural antioxidants low-temperature drying ascorbic acid carotenoids drying kinetics |
| title | Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds |
| title_full | Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds |
| title_fullStr | Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds |
| title_short | Vegetables Treated before Drying with Natural Antioxidants plus UV-C Improve Colour and Bioactive Compounds |
| title_sort | vegetables treated before drying with natural antioxidants plus uv c improve colour and bioactive compounds |
| topic | UV-C irradiation natural antioxidants low-temperature drying ascorbic acid carotenoids drying kinetics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/6/4/207 |
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