Reducing oxidative effects while drying kiwifruit
A new paper proposes applying pectin coatings enriched with antioxidant compounds as pre-treatment for kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) drying process.
One of the main drawbacks of drying fruits is the degradation of their quality by oxidative processes. In a recently published study, antioxidant pectin coatings were prepared and applied onto kiwi slices before the drying process to evaluate their effect on drying kinetics, on maintaining nutritional quality and antioxidant capacity of the cut fruit, and during 31 days of storage. Pectin antioxidant coating formulations have been developed by adding antioxidant extracts from fruits or antioxidant acids.
Promising technique
The antioxidant coatings preserved the thermosensitive compounds during drying, and formulations with the acerola extract and antioxidant acids may be highlighted since, in addition to the antioxidant effect, they also nutritionally enriched the kiwi slices. According to the researchers, the proposed methodology is a promising technique to reduce the oxidative effects inherent in the drying and storage processes.
The study has been published in Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, Volume 18, 2021.
