PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL QUALITY OF DRIED STRAWBERRY IN DIFFERENT PACKAGES - DOI: 10.13083/1414-3984.v22n04a03

Abstract

The strawberry has high perishability, and consequently reduced postharvest life. Thus, dehydration IS as an alternative to reduce post-harvest losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the type of packaging and storage time on physical and chemical characteristics of dehydrated strawberry. We used strawberries of the cultivar ‘Oso Grande’, sorted, sanitized, cut transversely and dehydrated at a temperature of 60 ± 5 °C until reaching a moisture content of 20 ± 2% (wet basis). The packages evaluated were: transparent polyethylene bags measuring 0.087 microns thick and low density under vacuum without vacuum, and plastic cellophane. The physical and chemical analyses conducted were: moisture content, titratable acidity, soluble solids, pH, vitamin C, total and reducing sugars. The dehydrated strawberries were stored for 180 days at average room temperature (20 ± 2°C) with relative humidity of the air around 78 ± 2%. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3x7x3 factorial, and the effect of storage time within each package was studied using the regression analysis. Packages were compared by the Tukey test at 5% of significance. Dehydration of the strawberry fruit showed to be an alternative to adding a new product on the market, presented a concentration of soluble solids and low moisture. Polyethylene bags under vacuum best retained the physical and chemical characteristics of the dehydrated strawberry, indicating its effectiveness as a barrier to absorption of moisture. Only the vacuum packaging was able to efficiently preserve the physical and chemical characteristics of the strawberry fruits for a period of 180 days.