Osmo-drying and quality evaluation of cauliflower genotypes

Abstract

In this investigation, twenty-five genotypes of cauliflower
(Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) were selected. The
samples were uniformly processed keeping all the processing
variables (thermal and drying time) constant and dried to a
shelf stable product. The effects on moisture content,
ascorbic acid, rehydration ratio, antioxidant capacity and
sensory acceptability of the product obtained was
investigated initially and at the end of storage period. The
initial moisture content in the dried cauliflower samples
presented values around 4% which increased to
approximately 7% at the end of storage period of 180 days.
The initial values for ascorbic acid were found to be in the
range of 33.8-41.7 mg/100 g DW, while on the final day of
storage lowest (30.4 mg/100 g DW) was observed in entry
2020CAUMVAR4. The difference between genotypes was
noted for rehydration ratio. Remarkably, good rehydration
ratio >3 was observed in all cauliflower genotypes. However,
it was observed that 2018CAUMVAR1 performed the best
in terms of rehydration ratio and sensory acceptability. The
results are useful to identify cauliflower genotypes more
amenable for processing.