Effects of Tray-Drying on the Physicochemical, Microbiological, Proximate, and Sensory Properties of White- and Red-Fleshed Loquat (<i>Eriobotrya Japonica</i> Lindl.) Fruit
Ilenia Tinebra | Roberta Passafiume | Dario Scuderi | Antonino Pirrone | Raimondo Gaglio | Eristanna Palazzolo | Vittorio Farina
Loquat fruits, highly valued by consumers for their characteristic aroma and pleasant taste, have a short post-harvest life and are susceptible to mechanical damage, loss of firmness, and initial organoleptic characteristics. The aim of this work was to develop a drying method suitable for storing loquat fruits in polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) bags containing two gaseous mixtures (treatments): MAPN<sub>2</sub> (100% N<sub>2</sub>) and MAPP (21% O<sub>2</sub> and 0.04% CO<sub>2</sub>), at room temperature (20 ± 1 °C) for at least 2 months. The effects of these conditions on the physico-chemical, microbiological, proximate, and sensory properties of fruit stored over a 50-day time interval were studied. The results showed that convective tray dehydration treatment at 70° for 12 h had good drying efficiency for loquat slices. In addition, the MAPN<sub>2</sub> packaging limited the browning of the slices, keeping the microbial groups below the detection limits, with a clear positive effect on some minerals and vitamins, which were higher in concentration compared to the MAPP-packed samples. From an applicative point of view, the tray drying method for loquat fruits is useful on a small scale but could also be easily industrialized.
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