Vol. 12, Issue 10 (2023)

Author(s):
AR Parmar, TH Barad, NK Dhamsaniya and GV Marviya

Abstract:
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a valuable tropical fruit due to its rich nutritional and medicinal properties. This study focuses on optimizing the refractance window drying process for papaya pulp to enhance two critical functional properties: water absorption index and water solubility index. By varying water temperature (75 to 95 ℃) and pulp layer thickness (1.5 to 4.5 mm), yielded maximum water absorption index (381.27%) and water solubility index (59.86%). Conversely, a decreasing trend in the water absorption index was observed at the highest water temperature (95 °C) and minimum pulp layer thickness (1.5 mm). Simultaneously, the water solubility index increased with rising water temperature and decreasing pulp layer thickness. These findings highlight the impact of process variables on enhancing the quality and versatility of dried papaya products in the food industry.