Abstract:
The effects of ascorbic acid, salt solution, lemon juice, and honey pre-treatment on the drying kinetics and sensory
characteristics were studied. Pre-treatments used affected the effective moisture diffusivity and rehydration properties of the
dried mangoes. The effective moisture diffusivity values were 2.22 × 10-10 m2/s for ascorbic acid, 1.80 × 10-10 m2/s for salt
solution, 2.01 × 10-10 m2/s for lemon juice, 1.93 × 10-10 m2/s for honey pre-treated mangoes, and 2.31 × 10-10 m2/s for the control
slices. Pre-treatments enhanced the drying rate potential of mangoes. Among the thin-layer drying models fitted to the
experimental data, the Middil model gave the best fit. The ascorbic acid pre-treated samples were the best while the salt
solution ones were the poorest with respect to reconstitution capacity. Consumer studies for overall preference for taste, colour,
texture, flavour and chewiness of the dried products revealed that there was a higher preference for honey pre-treated dried
samples followed by the ascorbic acid, control, lemon juice, and salt solution pre-treated samples. The results demonstrate that
these pre-treatments can be applied to enhance the moisture transport during drying and the quality of the dried products
