TITLE:
Polyphenol Oxidase Activity and Colour Changes of ‘Starking’ Apple Cubes Coated with Alginate and Dehydrated with Air
AUTHORS:
Susana Daniela Sousa Fernandes, Catarina Araújo da Silva Ribeiro, Maria Filomena de Jesus Raposo, Rui Manuel Santos Costa de Morais, Alcina Maria Miranda Bernardo de Morais
KEYWORDS:
Alginate Coating, Apple Cubes, Colour, Hot Air Drying, Polyphenol Oxidase
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.2 No.5,
July
7,
2011
ABSTRACT: The objective was to study the effect of alginate coating on polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and colour of ‘Starking’ apple cubes during dehydration with hot air. Apple cubes were dehydrated at 20oC, 35oC, or 40oC, with a parallel airflow. Analysis of PPO activity, colour (L*, a*, b*) and dry matter were performed along the dehydration process at each temperature. All samples presented a peak in relative PPO activity in the beginning of the drying. Exponential models fitted well the experimental data after the peak. Cubes without coating presented lower PPO activity, suggesting lower browning, than coated samples throughout the dehydration process, for all temperatures. Better results for coated samples were obtained with a perpendicular airflow drying at 40oC, after dipping the whole apple in water at 60oC for 10 min. In order to prevent coated samples from browning, drying by perpendicular airflow preceded by a thermal treatment of the whole apple is required.