Effect of Drying Methods on the Properties of Dried Carrot Slices and Drinks Produced from the Dried Carrots

This study investigated the effect of different drying methods on the rehydration profile and ratio of dried carrot slices and the physico-chemical, proximate and sensory properties of carrot drinks produced from rehydrated dried carrot slices. The carrots (iDaucus carota L./i) were sorted, washed, sliced (5 mm) and pre-treated with sodium metabisulfite, and dried using three different methods - solar, oven and dehydrator driers, alongside fresh carrot as control. The dried carrot slices were analyzed for their rehydration profile and ratio while the processed carrot drinks from the rehydrated carrot were analyzed for their physico-chemical, proximate and sensory properties. Data obtained were subjected to ANOVA at 5% significance (p0.05). Rehydration profile of the properties increased with time, with moisture uptake ranging from 18.13–36.14% while the rehydration ratio ranged from 1.60 (10mins) – 6.10 (60mins) with the dehydrator-dried sample showing superior rehydration properties. Physico-chemical parameters of the drinks produced from the rehydrated dried carrot slices showed that β-carotene ranged from 0.56 –1.39%, pH - 5.14 – 6.30, total titratable acidity - 0.002–0.004%; total soluble solids - 1.95 – 2.95 while viscosity was constant at 0.14 Pa·s (p0.05). Proximate composition showed moisture (95.29 – 97.30%), ash (0.15 – 0.24%), fat (0.10 – 0.30%), crude protein (0.33 – 0.87%) and carbohydrate (2.10 – 3.55%) for the drinks. Sensory scores of the drinks produced from the rehydrated samples varied significantly (p0.05) with appearance ranging from 4.80 – 8.35, color (4.75 – 8.60), taste (5.05 – 7.95), aroma (5.45 –7.75), mouth feel (5.40 – 8.15) and overall acceptability (5.09–8.16) with dehydrator and fresh samples (no significant difference) being the most preferred. The findings reveal that drying significantly affects physico-chemical, proximate and sensory qualities of the carrot drink samples, with dehydrator-dried samples producing drinks comparable to fresh carrot sample drink in some of the measured qualities.