Abstract

Direct sun drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. A drying method that utilizes solar energy while minimizing negative aspects of sun drying is a solar dryer. However, research about the quality characteristics of fruits and vegetables dried using a solar dryer compared to a traditional dryer is lacking. To measure this, apple, tomato and carrot slices, and grape halves and whole peas were prepared and dried using either a solar or FA dehydrator (FA), Consumer liking was measured using two sensory panels that asked panelists 9-point hedonic questions between like products. Quality differences were analyzed using a TA.XT2 texture analyzer. Color was measured using a Hunterlab colorimeter. There were no significant differences in consumer liking (p<0.05) between drying methods for any fruits and vegetables with regards to overall acceptability. Grapes, tomatoes and carrots all had significant differences in consumer liking with regards to appearance, which correlates well with observed differences in a* values. Consumers liked the aroma of solar-dried peas significantly more. The texture of FA grapes was liked significantly more than their solar counterparts, which likely contributed to consumers significantly ranking the FA grapes higher than their solar counterparts when asked to rank which one they prefer.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Life Sciences; Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2017-03-01

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd9069

Keywords

solar dryer, forced-air dryer, dried fruits, dried vegetables, sensory, affective test, colorimeter, texture, apple, grape, tomato, carrot, pea

Language

english

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