Effect of Blanching Techniques and Treatments on Nutritional Quality of Dried Mango Slices During Storage

The present invention was undertaken to study and determine the effect of potassium metabisulphite (6%) and potassium sorbate (350 ppm) treatments on the nutritional quality of osmotically-dehydrated, infrared-and microwave-blanched dried mango slices (local cultivars "Chaunsa" and "Fajri") stored for the period of 6 months under ambient conditions. The studied parameters included physical characteristics such as water activity, non-enzymatic browning, and color values, chemical parameters such as moisture, ash, fiber, acidity and content of proteins, sugars, vitamin C, total carotenoids, and sensory attributes such as appearance, flavor and texture. Vitamin C content in osmotically-dried mango slices was higher than that of IR and MW blanched dried mango slices but the content of vitamin C of both cultivars was lower than of the fresh mango samples (Chaunsa: 135 mg/100 g, Fajri: 94 mg/100 g). Significant loss was noticed in total carotenoids content of both the cultivars with passage of time because of their susceptibility to oxidative loss caused by dry heat. No growth of yeast and mold was detected in potassium sorbate-treated dried mango slices due to their preservative effect. From the point of view of the composition and sensory quality, dried mango slices of both the cultivars have excellent nutritional qualities.