Storage stability of bioactive compounds of pomegranate leather (pestil) produced by refractance window drying

Abstract

AbstractFruit leathers are commonly produced with several fruits for consuming out of harvesting seasons. It is rich in nutritional and bioactive compounds. However, the bioactive compounds are sensitive to processing and storage conditions. Therefore, the chemical properties of the pomegranate leather produced by refractance window drying during storage at three different storage temperatures were investigated in the present study. The bioactive compounds of pomegranate leathers gradually decreased during storage, especially in high storage temperatures. The degradation of anthocyanins fit the second‐order reaction kinetics. HMF content and volatile nonenzymatic browning reaction products were increased during storage especially at 35 °C. Moreover, storing at 35 °C for short period of time caused a volatile composition similar to the storing for a long period at 22 °C. Overall, leather must be stored at low temperatures to increase the stability of bioactive compounds.Practical applicationsRefractance window drying has gained more and more attention from the food industry due to its scalability, cost‐effectiveness, and continuous production opportunity. Many papers have shown the effectiveness of refractance window drying over different drying techniques. However, the fate of refractance window dried materials during storage is absent in the literature. Therefore, the storage stability of pomegranate leather was determined in the present study.