Effect of Drying Process Parameters on Dehydrated Cabbage Enriched with Selenium

Abstract

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) enriched with selenium through foliar spraying was used to study the effect of drying process on its selenium retention and other quality criteria. Parameters such as blanching, seasoning, temperature, pH, and time of treatment were studied and evaluated to obtain an optimal processing condition for dehydrated selenium-enriched cabbage. After blanching, the barrier for mass and heat transfer of cabbage cellular materials became lower so that the heat damage was high. Blanching parameters set at 95°C and 60 s retained selenium and vitamin C in cabbage best as well as inactivated enzymes present in cabbage. Seasoning reduced the water activity of cabbage and subsequently reduced the loss of selenium. Blanching and seasoning could prevent browning deterioration of cabbage and reasonably kept the fresh color. The selenium loss kinetics during drying obeyed the first-order reaction and its activation energy was 44.0 kJ mol⁻¹.

Keywords:

• Antioxidant
• Cabbage
• Drying process
• Nutritional value
• Selenium enrichment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was done at the Joint Research Institute of Haitong Group Co., Ltd., and Southern Yangtze University. The authors thank the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology for supporting this research under contract No. 04EFN213310125.