The effect of combined drying process (OD-CD-VMD) on nutritional, phytochemical, and sensory profiles, and biological activities of colored dried carrot

Abstract

The drying process is used in the food industry to increase the shelf-life of food products without adding preservatives. In this study, using a combination of osmotic dehydration (OD), convective, and microwave-vacuum drying technologies, carrot snacks were prepared using four colored carrot varieties (purple, orange, yellow, and white carrots), three fruit concentrates (apple, chokeberry, and sour cherry), and sucrose solution (control group). The results showed that the OD process increased the polyphenolic content of the dried carrot samples; however, their carotenoid content decreased due to heating processes, and α-cryptoxanthin was the only carotenoid found in all carrot snacks. In addition, yellow carrot dehydrated in the sour cherry solution exhibited the highest total polyphenolic content (TPC), with the highest acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzyme inhibition activities. In general, the use of the chokeberry solution resulted in high antioxidant activities and, in the case of orange carrot, the highest α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase activities. Furthermore, sensorial acceptance of carrot snacks changed with product characteristics. The purple carrot-apple juice snack was evaluated as the best-colored product, and the orange carrot-sour cherry snack was evaluated as the best-smelling product. Finally, the obtained products were found to be attractive snacks with pro-health properties.