DFNet

July 20, 2024 | Foods |

Researchers from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand, conducted a study comparing various mangosteen pericarp processing methods to evaluate their impact on physical properties, antioxidant activity, and bioactive compound retention. The pericarp was subjected to hot air drying (HAD; control), quick freezing followed by HAD (QF + HAD), slow freezing followed by HAD (SF + HAD), and slow freezing followed by freeze-drying (SF + FD).

Key findings revealed that freezing methods significantly influenced the pericarp's moisture content, water activity, and color. Among the methods, SF + FD exhibited the highest antioxidant activities (40.68 and 41.20 mg Trolox/g DW for DPPH and ABTS, respectively) and α-mangostin content (82.3 mg/g DW). Total phenolic content (TPC) was also highest with SF + FD (1,065.57 mg GAE/g DW), compared to SF + HAD (783.24 mg GAE/g DW). However, the drying process itself showed minimal effects on bioactive compounds.

Despite SF + FD offering superior preservation of antioxidant and bioactive properties, SF + HAD emerged as the most practical and cost-effective method for processing mangosteen pericarp. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing mangosteen pericarp processing in terms of both efficiency and product quality.

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