EFFECT OF VARIOUS DRYING METHODS ON TEXTURE AND COLOR OF TOMATO HALVES

Tomatoes were pretreated with osmotic solutions (NaCl and sucrose) at different concentrations and then dried using hot air (75C, 1.5 m/s), a vacuum (55C, 75 kPa) or hot-air drying followed by microwave treatment (400 W, 10 s). The effects of pretreatment and drying method on the drying kinetics were examined. A puncture test and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the effects of these processes on texture and microstructure. Hunter values (L, a, b) were used to measure color. Measurements showed that two osmotic solutions, S-3 (40% sucrose, 5% NaCl) and S-4 (40% sucrose, 10% NaCl), performed better, reducing drying times and having a positive effect on microstructure, but an adverse effect on hardness. Apart from the type of process, dehydration reduced firmness and collapsed the structure of tomato halves. The subsequent microwave treatment then caused further damage, especially on the surface of the dried samples, but enhanced their color when combined with appropriate osmotic treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study shows that the color and structural changes of tomato during drying can be reduced using appropriate procedure. This may find application in the production of dried tomato with better appearance and lower drying cost.