An Exhaustive Study on Physicochemical and Structural Changes During Drying of Apple Discs

Abstract

Dehydration is one of the most employed techniques in the preservation and development of foods. Water is a vital component in the structural preservation and functional integrity of vegetable tissues. As a consequence of its removal during convective air drying, great physicochemical changes in biopolymer composition and spatial conformation are presented, inducing disarrangements and/or destruction of the natural structure, shrinkage, changes in water and biopolymer mobility and distribution, changes in thermal transitions, color changes, and modification in mechanical properties, among others. These characteristics have been identified as the most important properties associated with modifications in quality properties of fruits (Chapman 1994; Krokida et al. 1998, 2000; Ruan and Chen 1998).