Effect of Low Temperature-Long Time Blanching on Quality of Dried Sweet Potato

ABSTRACT

Combining low temperature, long time blanching with moderate temperature drying very positively affected the textural characteristics of dehydrated sweet potato. Ten mm cubes of this tuber were slow-blanched at 60, 65 and 70°C for 15 and 45 minutes, then conventionally blanched at 94°C three minutes and, finally dehydrated in a cabinet dryer at 70 and 8S°C for a maximum of 195 minutes. The final product showed optimum texture attributes for the blanching treatment of 65°C for 15 minutes followed by the flash blanching and the drying process at 70°C for 120 minutes.

Keywords and Phrases:

• drying rate
• enzyme inactivation
• rehydration
• texture attributes
• thermal diffusion coefficient