Improvements in drying characteristics and quality parameters of tomato by carbonic maceration pretreatment

Effects of carbonic maceration (CM) on drying kinetics and some quality characteristics of dried tomato slices were evaluated. The response surface methodology was used to optimize CM pretreatment (temperature, CO2 pressure, time) for drying time (DT) and effective diffusivity (D-eff). Drying process was accelerated by CM applied before conventional drying compared to control samples dried without CM pretreatment. DT and D-eff were significantly affected by treatment conditions. CM significantly increased some color parameters (L*, a*, b*, and C*) but decreased total color change and browning index compared to control samples. Significant increments in water activity and titratable acidity were observed in CM treated samples, but textural properties were lower than control one. No significant differences were observed in pH, ascorbic acid content and a*/b* color parameter. Briefly, the CM was an effective pretreatment which could be applied before drying to improve drying characteristics.