DRYING CHARACTERISTICS, MINERAL CONTENT, TEXTURE AND SENSORIAL PROPERTIES OF PUMPKIN FRUIT LEATHER

The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of hot air (HAD: 50, 60, 70°C), vacuum (VD: 50, 60, 70°C at 300 mbar) and microwave methods (MWD: 90, 180W) on drying characteristics, effective moisture diffusivity (Deff), mineral content, texture, and sensorial properties of pumpkin pestils. MWD led to the highest drying rate and the lowest drying time in all methods. Page and Modified Page were ideally fitted to experimental results among seven thin layer drying models. Mineral content (Ca, K, Na, P, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) of the pestils showed higher values than non-dried (paste) mixture. Significant differences were determined between textural features of the pestils (p < 0.05). Furthermore, products dried with HAD and VD were preferred rather than MWD in terms of sensorial properties.