Vol. 11, Issue 6 (2022)

Author(s):
Jigar B Panchal, Chetan Kumar Nagar and Champawat PS

Abstract:
In this study, sweet potato slices were pretreated with various pretreatments such as 0.1% w/v potassium metabisulfite (KMS), 1% w/v calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and blanching at 80 °C for 5 min. These pretreated slices were dried in a mechanical tray dryer at 50, 55, 60, and 65 °C at a constant drying air velocity of 2 m/s in the drying chamber. The dried samples were ground into the flour and subjected to various chemical analyses such as protein, starch, total sugar, total soluble solids, ash, fiber, and colour. According to results obtained, protein and starch content were found to decrease with an increase in drying temperatures. At 60 °C, the total sugar content was found to be highest for CaCl₂ pretreated samples. Total soluble solids (TSS) were found to increase with drying temperature and to be highest for CaCl₂ pretreated samples at 65°C. Ash content was found to be highest for CaCl₂ pretreated samples and decreases with drying temperature. The CaCl₂ pretreated sample was found to be best in terms of studied characteristics and can be used as an ingredient in food formulations.